The Redemption of Underland
by Kapra90
Summary: After the Underground is recreated, the Fallen Child once again takes control of Frisk despite their good intentions and threatens to place all its inhabitants through a never ending loop of hell. When a young woman with extraordinary ability is drawn to this doomed world, is her will enough to break this perilous chain before it's too late?
1. The Descent

**Greetings, readers! I have a special Christmas gift for you! Lately as I continue to work diligently on my TLC series, I have also been dabbling in Undertale; I love this game and think it's great, so I have some fanfictions planned for it for you all to enjoy! As I have watched through the LPs, I have noticed some symbolic connections and similarities to certain Alice in Wonderland characters and aspects. Being I have enjoyed writing fanfictions before for American McGee's Alice, I am going to give this crossover a shot because I feel it has the potential to work well. I hope you all do also, and that you enjoy!**

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Since the untimely death of a certain doctor- untimely in that he should have perished much sooner, good riddance to the twisted bastard- I have found myself able to concentrate on expanding my fervent mind, reach out to other minds which posess great gifts. It's been an exhilerating adventure, speaking to all sorts of people and seeing worlds outside my own. However, as of late, I can no longer deny that there has been some unknown power reaching out towards me, like fingers extended and ready to grasp. Though I had been increasingly vigilant, as I allowed my guard to slip just the once, so did my footing...

I found myself falling once again. Hadn't I climbed up the mountain enough times already simply to fall from grace again? But something seemed... different. This was not the rabbit hole I was accustomed to- in fact, by the look of it, it wasn't a rabbit hole at all. When I finally landed, I immediately checked my surroundings to see I had landed on a soft bed of golden flowers. This place certainly is interesting... but I could tell immediately that this is not my Wonderland. As I stand to my feet, I am overwhelmed by a certain feeling. Curiosity? Well, yes, but this is not the primary. Fear? Certainly not, fear is not something that cripples me anymore. Besides, it feels like something along the lines of empowerment, but that's not quite hitting the nail on the head- oh dear, where is the carpenter when I need him?

My thoughts become distracted when I hear a voice. I turn, a low light illuminating something small, close to the ground. Upon closer inspection, I see that it is a flower. It doesn't shock me... I've spoken to flowers before. But as I came to discover... this flower was far different than the ones I encountered in Wonderland, because this was not Wonderland.

This, ladies and gentleman, is where the chapter of this tale begins.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower!" The creature spoke, Alice raising a brow.

"How original. Well, being that you seem to be sentient, would you be able to tell me where I am, exactly?" Alice replied.

"Hmm... you're new to the Underground, aren'tcha? Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here. I guess little old me will have to do." Flowey piped.

"That would be much appreciated." Alice replied.

"You know, you don't seem all that surprised... flowers don't talk where humans are from." Flowey said.

"I've encountered my fair share of plants that talk... mistook me for a weed the first time around if I recall." Alice said. "Curious, though... you seem to know something about the human world... you can't very well have gone there yourself, not unless you can sprout up and use your roots to walk around with. Otherwise, I will assume that I'm not the first human to have come here, am I?"

"Huh." Flowey said, his smile fading ever so slightly. "You're pretty smart, aren't you... what's your name?"

"Oh, where are my manners? Alice Liddell is the name." She replied.

"Well, Alice... down here in the Underground, it's okay to be smart... it could be a good or a bad thing. But what really matters down here is your soul." Flowey said.

"My soul? How do you mean?" Alice asked warily.

"Souls are the only way to get anywhere around here. Why, everything you do involves your soul." Flowey says.

"Well, In a literal sense I suppose that's true... but there shouldn't be any reason to place a particular emphasis upon it." Alice raised a brow.

"But there is! Here, let me show you what happens with one of my friendliness pellets!" Flowey beamed, producing a seed shaped object that floated in the air. Before Alice could inspect it further, it shot right at her, making her gasp as she felt as if something pierced her heart. She whipped her head up to see the flower was now smirking evilly, cackling.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Alice shouted.

"You idiot! Don't you see?! In this world, it's kill or be killed!" Flowey growled.

"Why is it that I always encounter those who use politeness and sincerity as a facade?" Alice asked herself, about to wield her vorpal blade when Flowey sent more of his pellets flying at her in a circle, forcing her to use her umbrella to deflect them. Flowey became angry then, his smile curling into something more sinister as he increased his attack. "Who knew that such a small flower could cause this much havoc; at this rate I'll have some work ahead of me if this is the general pattern of things!" At that point, pellets surrounded her in a circle, Flowey thinking he had Alice then. To his shock and anger, as they all shot towards her at once, she burst into butterflies, evading them before rematerializing. She narrowed her eyes at Flowey as he sputtered with rage.

"You rotten cheat! You're not supposed to win! You think you can just come here with all your fancy powers and mess up everything! Don't worry... the bigger you are, the harder you fall..." Flowey chuckled lowly.

"Please, if you're expecting me to endure inconsistent size changes again, I'd rather avoid that. You, however, are going to get a time out for being deceitful." Alice said.

"Trust me, Alice... everything I've said is the truth. You'll learn that the easy way or the hard way!" Flowey shouted before conjuring another attack. Just as he was about to unleash it upon Alice, something hit Flowey from behind, causing him to retreat under the ground. Alice whirled around, seeing someone approach as she wielded her vorpal blade.

"Don't come any closer! I may not be able to gut a flower but I can certainly try with you!" She shouted.

"N- No, please... that's what it wants." A soft-spoken voice said, approaching Alice in a cautious manner. "Unfortunately you learned the first lesson of the Underground, my dear."

"And what would that be, that anything that moves here is hostile?" Alice asked curtly.

"No... never trust any of the flowers here." She replied.

Alice took note of the creature, looking as if she were some sort of goat, but not quite. She pursed her lip, taking a step closer. "What is your name?"

"I am Toriel. I heard the commotion out here and realized that there was trouble again. You've come at a very dangerous time. Please come... I will explain what I can at home. You've much to learn, Alice."

"It would seem so." Alice replied. After what she just experienced, she was wary about the creatures here; she supposed that she shouldn't base everything on first impressions... but more important than having just encountered a maniacal flower, she could not deny that she felt different here, she was experiencing feelings that she deduced that was a result of this place. So she followed Toriel despite a degree of distrust, hoping she could at least get some answers.

They soon entered a small cottage, Alice taking note of the normalcy of its atmosphere. Upon immediate observation, she also noted that Toriel seemed to live alone. Settling her nerves a bit more, she decided to let her guard down slightly as Toriel poured some tea.

"Would you like some snail pie?" She asked, Alice clearing her throat.

"No, thank you... I had a rather large breakfast." Alice replied. "Some tea will do nicely though."

Toriel nodded, Alice sitting at a quaint little table across from Toriel as she took a sip. After a few moments, she finally broke the silence between them. "You're not like the other humans who have fallen here... you seem to have a special gift."

"I suppose you could say that." Alice replied, taking another sip. "It wasn't easily acquired. However, I don't think it would be productive to discuss me... I need to know why I was called here."

"Called?" Toriel blinked. "I don't understand."

Alice sighed lightly. "Perhaps I may have to delve into myself a bit after all." She placed her tea cup down. "Where to begin... I have always been... different, I suppose. I had the ability to see things others do not. First, it began in my dreams, just inside my mind. But then, that visionary ability began to expand. I saw things in my waking life that others could not. Soon my other senses became attune to it as well... I would spend hours in a world that existed only for me. It was wonderful, until the tragedy of course."

"Tragedy?" Toriel frowned lightly.

"My entire family roasted alive in their beds." Alice said with a serious air, taking a sip of tea.

"That's awful... I'm very sorry. I know... what it's like to lose loved ones." Toriel replied.

"Anyhow... I spent the next decade fighting endlessly through my ruined Wonderland to overcome my greatest obstacles to redeeming my freedom. My mind may be broken, but he jagged edges make me all the sharper, I suppose." Alice said.

"So how is it you were called to us, exactly?" Toriel asked.

"After the downfall of my greatest enemy, my freedom allowed me to branch out into other worlds, other minds, to assist others in acheiving that same freedom, mental clarity, inspiring creativity and morality. At first, I would seek out those in need of aid; but after some time, I would sense presences of mind without seeking them out. As of late, I felt something reaching out to me... it instigated a certain feeling, the same I am suddenly feeling now since I entered this world." Alice explained.

"Feeling? Can you... describe this feeling?" Toriel asked.

"Hm... well, it's not a bad feeling... I suppose it's good, but that's not what I would use to determine it. It's somewhat of a... feeling of empowerment." Alice said.

Toriel lifted her head, her eyes widening slightly as she spoke one word. "Determination."

"Ah..." Alice smiled and nodded. "... yes, you hit it right on the head; perhaps I don't need the carpenter after all."

"All humans have determination. It is what gives their soul the will to persist, even after it has left the body. Us monsters do not have this... so when we die, we become dust." Toriel said.

Alice furrowed a brow at this. "That's quite upsetting."

"There isn't much time to explain everything... you must stay hidden, Alice. You can stay here for the night, and then I will escort you to a safer place in the morning." Toriel said.

"Now hold on... what exactly is so dangerous that we are being forced into hiding?" Alice asked.

"There is an evil in our midst, Alice. An evil that threatens to completely destroy all Monsterkind and Humankind alike. We must be wary, for if she finds us, she will show us no mercy." Toriel said.

"She? Who is this she?" Alice asked.

Toriel stopped for a moment, closing her eyes as she sighed. "At first... I thought she was the hope for a better and brighter future... but something went wrong... something happened that I have a feeling was not supposed to happen... rather than helping to free the monsters, she began killing. We had to evacuate the population to save them from death."

"Perhaps it was not who you were expecting." Alice said.

"No, it was exactly who we all expected... but something was off about her... it was if she already knew everything, as if she had traveled this path before. At first, she was kind, a gentle child is what I saw when she passed through the ruins. But something changed, something along the lines began to awaken within her. The murderous fiend that emerged was not the child I first saw."

"What happened to cause such a drastic change?" Alice asked.

"I do not know... all I do know I learned from... well, I suppose I can call him a friend. I do not know how he has such a vast knowledge of this... honestly, it shocked me." Toriel replied.

"Perhaps if you are unwilling, I can seek him out. What is his name? What does he look like?" Alice asked.

"I have never seen him... we speak through the door that leads out of the ruins. He seems to know far more than I, however." Toriel said.

"Well, that doesn't help much..." Alice pursed her lip. "I shall have to do a blind search, then."

"No!" Toriel insisted. "I must escort you to safety. If you are seen, you will be killed. All humans who pass through here do not return." Toriel warned.

"I appreciate your concern, but I feel I am more than likely a bit more able than those who have passed here. This feeling of determination you described... I'm certainly feeling it now." Alice said, about to make her way out of the ruins when she was halted by Toriel blocking the way.

"I will not let you pass through here. I'm sorry, but I have seen far too much death in my lifetime. I refuse to endure its pain again." Toriel said in a calm, but firm tone.

A breath was drawn from Alice's lips, feeling a bit frustrated. "Toriel... think rationally for a moment. What good will keeping me here do, hindering progress, not able to move forward?"

"At least I can save one life... just one; is that so hard to ask?" Toriel's voice shook.

"If you let me go, perhaps I can save more." Alice responded.

Toriel closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. "I did not want to have to do this..." She said, opening her palms so that fire illuminated them. "But if you wish so badly to leave... you must prove to me you have what it takes to survive."

"I'm not going to fight you, Toriel; I only fight the heartless and traitorous, and you are neither." Alice said. "That I have clearly sensed."

Toriel shook her head; no, Alice's words would not sway her. She would not allow it. She began to unleash her fireballs at Alice, who clenched her jaw with internal conflict as She opened her umbrella, deflecting the attacks. Toriel had to dodge some as they ricocheted back at her, but didn't miss a beat as she fired more. Alice, trying to avoid harming Toriel because of her intent, began to dodge the attacks when she burst into butterflies, genuinely shocking Toriel as she had never witnessed a human display such powers before. She tried not to let it get to her however, focusing on her goal.

"Running away from a fight is not always the answer, Alice! There are murderous fiends out there who will pursue you!" Toriel cried.

When Alice materialized, she snapped back at her. "And are you not doing just that by hiding away here in these ruins?!"

Toriel froze, her hands raised but conjured no fire now. Her words of truth had struck her worse than any attack could have, furrowing her brows deeply. "Why... are you making this so difficult...?" Her voice shook as her hands began to do the same, about to conjure another attack. She inhaled sharply when Alice took her hands, lowering them.

"Because this is not who you are, Toriel." Alice said, maintaining a gentle hold on the former Queen's hands. "Not all royalty rules with an iron fist, but with gentleness and care. You have endured much loss, I can see that... it has worn on you."

Toriel's head snapped up. "How did you know I was... I am a-"

"The way you hold yourself... your mannerisms. Also, violet is a royal color, is it not?"Alice smiled lightly. "Toriel, I have encountered the ruthless in my lifetime. I refuse to follow their standards. I will not harm you just to prove a point."

Toriel nodded slowly, opening her eyes. "All I want is to protect, Alice... and when I failed, again and again... I ran away. I left it all behind except my guilt. That I cannot run away from."

"I know that feeling. The hardest lesson I learned was that you cannot control the world... or its malicious intent. But you can make a difference. Let me pass through this door... I will find your friend and I can help you save your people before it's too late." Alice offered.

"Yes... alright." Toriel agreed. "I am sorry... I just..."

"No need to explain. I do hope we meet again, Toriel. I thank you for your hospitality." Alice smiled lightly, nodding as Toriel turned to unlock the door.

"I wish you luck on your journey." Toriel said after opening the door.

"Thank you. I will be alright, I've got nothing to lose." Alice replied.

"Oh... but you do. You have the most precious thing of all to lose... your soul." Toriel said as she stepped back. "Please remember to always be good, Alice Liddell."

Alice gave her one final nod, bidding her farewell as she passed through the door. Toriel watched her go with much heaviness in her heart, shutting her eyes tightly as she slowly shut the heavy stone door, shrouding the ruins in darkness once again.

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 **Going to end this here for now... I will try to update as much as possible; it's been a bit tough because I have a few projects going on, but I will continue to work diligently! In the meantime, I hope you all liked this first chapter and anticipate more to come. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope Santa brings you lots of gifts! See you next time! :)**


	2. Of Brothers and Riddles

**Hello again, readers! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and that Santa brought you lots of goodies! I have worked diligently to whip up another chapter for you, so I hope you all enjoy! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited so far, it is very appreciated!**

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Alice peered down the long, ominous corridor as she ventured forth. She knew she had work to do, but she had no idea how much time she had… or what other perils she would face along the way. Right on cue, as she was about to approach another door that would lead completely out of the area, she growled lowly when suddenly, a small something sprouted from the ground, blocking her way.

"You do realize I could crush you under my shoe, yet you have the nerve to show your face after the last stunt you pulled." Alice said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ha! You think you're pretty clever, don't you?" Flowey cackled. "See, when you have the kind of power you have, you can afford to play by your own rules… at least, until you realize you're just a pawn in someone else's game. You spared one person, so what? You think I'm just some flower you can stomp on, so why don't you just go ahead and stop yapping? Or are you just full of empty threats?"

"First, I said I 'could,' not I 'would.' Only the latter is a real threat, perhaps you should replace two of your petals with a pair of working ears, it would suit you all the better." Alice replied smugly.

Flowey laughed. "You must feel pretty great about yourself, huh? It's convenient to not kill anyone when you have the propensity… but I'm smarter than I look, Alice… you're not as innocent as you make yourself out to be. You may be some brooding, witty heroine to all these other idiots here, but I can see everything… your soul shows all of you, sweet heart… and there's a lot of twisted, mangled knots in it."

"What is attempting intimidation going to accomplish, flower?" Alice raised a brow.

"And what do you think rationalizing every little silly thing will accomplish for you? What happens when you come across a relentless killer? You will die, Alice Liddell… over, and over, and over… until you are so worn down that you will succumb to one option! I already told you that it's kill or be killed in this world… that's the only way to gain power here!" Flowey spat.

"I've dealt with relentless killers… and believe me… those who do evil unto others always get their comeuppance whether it be by my hand or not!" Alice exclaimed.

"Justifying murder with justice makes you a hypocrite, and a hypocrite is never loyal to a strict set of values. You're nothing short of an attention whore, always being in the spotlight!" Flowey said as his face stretched into a malicious grin. "You will take the power of this world for your own, Alice, or I will strike you down until you are nothing and it will all belong to me. I am the prince of this world, and everything is in motion for me to take it along with my partner in crime!"

"Partner in crime? There are more of you?" Alice raised a brow.

"Oh, don't worry… you will meet her soon enough… but the real fun will be saved for later. I want to see how you measure up first!" Flowey said, cackling once more before retreating into the ground.

"What a nasty little thing…" Alice grimaced. "I normally do not judge character coupled with their size but in this case I think it's justified… and unlike his outrageous opinion of me, I am certainly not guilty of hypocrisy. I can't afford to allow his words to sway my mind. I have to press on." Alice said to herself, huffing as she proceeded to the door out.

Once she passed through it, she blinked and looked around her when she was met with the sight of a snowy forest. She was a bit surprised, pursing her lips as she spoke her thoughts aloud.

"Curious… this is supposedly an underground world and yet it still somehow seems to be exposed to precipitation… and here I thought nothing could surpass the oddities of Wonderland… I do hope this is the only thing which I stand corrected upon." Alice said as she wandered through the trees.

It was then she thought she sensed something behind her, raising a brow as she glanced over her shoulder to see a smaller figure shrouded in shadow several yards behind her. She inhaled sharply, waiting a moment to see if the individual would try to gain her attention in any way, or at least make some kind of move. When they simply stood there, Alice decided to press on, continuing along the path. When she heard the soft crunching of snow underfoot behind her, persisting even as she increased her pace, she clenched her jaw as she approached an odd looking bridge, her lips tightening. When she stopped at its edge, just as her hand went to her waist, she finally heard the individual speak as they stopped a couple yards behind her.

"Human. Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"

Alice slowly turned, her hand still resting upon the handle of her blade. When the individual stepped into the light, extending their hand… she narrowed her eyes warily, sensing that though this… skeleton… didn't seem to intend to do her harm, she could tell by her mental reading of him that there were more layers to his calm demeanor than what met the eye. There was something hidden behind his laid back attitude, and after what she had seen of this place already, she deduced it was better to avoid provoking it. When he remained as he was, his hand still extended, she slowly removed her hand from the blade handle tucked into her dress, extending it towards his hand. She was hesitant for a moment, her fingertips hovering just out of his reach. The skeleton eyed her hand for a moment, surprised at his own growing anticipation. He too, sensed there were deeper layers to this human as well, not moving a muscle- quite literally- before Alice finally gripped his hand. When the sound of a Whoopie cushion broke the tense silence, Alice immediately retracted her hand, grimacing as she grunted in annoyance.

"Oh, how juvenile! Have you nothing better than to stalk strangers and alarm them only to pull some simple prank?" Alice snapped.

"Oh come on, this joke always makes for a good laugh." The skeleton spoke, shrugging nonchalantly. "Anyway… you're a human, right?"

"No, I'm a bloody dodo bird… I haven't the time for this, I have other business to attend to." Alice said, huffing in annoyance.

"Hey, don't be such a sourpuss… 'cat' you at least tell me your name?" He replied, snickering at his own joke as Alice rolled her eyes. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. What's yours?"

"The lack of originality around here is becoming quite tiresome, among other things. My name is Alice, Alice Liddell. Now if you don't mind, I have more important things to do than to stand around and entertain you all day."

As Alice began to maneuver herself onto the bridge, Sans chuckled. "I wouldn't go too far if I were you, kid."

"And why not? Also, I'll appreciate that you don't define me with such a low class word, it's degrading." Alice said.

"Not what I intended. Anyway, I'm actually supposed to be on the lookout for humans right now… but you know… I don't really care about capturing anybody." Sans said.

"I beg your pardon? Oh, damn this place and it's unforgiving nature! Now I must keep watch for animated remains!" Alice groaned.

"Well see, my brother Papyrus is the one you have to worry about… and speak of the devil, that's him coming from that way. Here, why don't you hide under that conveniently placed chair?" Sans asked, pointing to a leather lounge chair, Alice grimacing at it as it reminded her of something out of a doctor's office. Nonetheless, she did what the vertically challenged skeleton told her, peeking out from underneath as a taller, leaner skeleton approached the first. As she listened to their conversation, she took note that the second was very loud and animated, not the picture she had painted in her mind. When he finally departed after throwing a tantrum at his- surprisingly to Alice- older brother, she emerged from her spot, dusting the snow off her dress. Judging by sizes again, don't make this a habit, she thought to herself. As she approached Sans, he observed her for a moment before nodding his head towards the path.

"Better get going, he may come back." Sans said.

"Very well, Thank you for your… assistance…" Alice said unsurely, gathering herself as the turned to continue onward. When she managed to get a few feet ahead, Sans cleared his throat.

"Actually… hate to bother you, but… can you do me a favor? I was thinking… my brother's been kind of down lately, he's never seen a human… seeing you might make his day." Sans said.

Alice forced a laugh, whirling around. "Are you joking?"

"As much as I love a good joke…" Sans smirked. "… look, he isn't really dangerous even when he tries to be, you must have picked that up."

Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Sans stood calmly with his hands in his pockets, waiting patiently for her response. There was something he was hiding, this was for certain, and Alice began to wonder if he had a larger part in this than he was letting off. She knew she didn't have time to appease his ridiculous requests, but perhaps indulging them for the sake of learning more about him, and perhaps this place in general, would be worth the aggravation.

"Oh, very well!" Alice said with a huff. "But I will be quite cross if this falls back upon me and I do not think you would very much like to see me in that state."

"Thanks a million, kid." Sans replied, making Alice clench her jaw. "And by the way…" He added as Alice started to walk away again. "… I don't think you would want to 'cross that state line' on my end, either." He said before departing himself.

Alice sighed slowly, her breath seen upon the cold air as she ventured down the path and out of the thicker forest. She came across some crossroads, deciding to continue straight. As she did, she heard something rustling in the trees, stopping to glance to the side and narrow her eyes. She growled lowly when she heard what she thought was soft chuckling, deciding to move on. Up ahead, she carefully skid along some ice until she reached a sign, reading it to herself.

"'North: Ice, South: Ice, West: Ice, East: Snowdin Town… and ice.' Hm… perhaps some of their residents will hopefully be able to aid me. It's more than I can expect at this point." Alice said to herself. She decided to head east, but groaned when she saw a pair of familiar faces up ahead. "Oh, for goodness sakes…" She sighed, rolling her eyes as she approached them. A small plot had no snow covering it, separating her from the pair of skeleton brothers.

"Aha! The human arrives! The time has come for I, the great Papyrus, to capture you! In order to stop you, I have devised a few puzzles to thwart you!"

"Alas, we finally meet, oh great human hunter. Tell me, how shall you challenge someone who is an expert at riddles?" Alice said sarcastically, Sans chuckling as he smirked.

"It's quite 'shocking,' actually! And this time I shall do it right!" Papyrus replied, tossing over a blue orb. Alice caught it, looking from it to him with a questioning expression. "This is an electric maze… each time you step in the wrong spot, you will be electrocuted!"

Alice raised a brow, snorting lightly as she looked down at the orb. "Very well… tell me, o great Papyrus…" She said as Sans watched her curiously. "… how good are your reflexes?"

Before Papyrus could answer, Sans raised a brow bone as she hurled the orb right at the taller skeleton. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, Alice getting a running start as she burst into butterflies, dashing across the plot in a swarm before rematerializing on the other side, shooting her hand out to catch the orb inches from Papyrus' face. Sans nodded slowly, genuinely impressed as Papyrus turned to look at her in surprise as Alice smirked.

"Well, human, it seems you are better than I thought! I shall thoroughly enjoy besting you with my other puzzles! Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus said before hurrying off. Alice could not help but snicker lightly to herself; she had to admit, his enthusiasm was quite lighthearted, and a bit contagious.

"Hey…" Sans said, taking a step forward. "Thanks… he's having fun, I can tell. My brother is pretty cool, isn't he?"

Alice's expression softened, nodding a bit. "I suppose… it is good that he is a dreamer. My sister encouraged the same of me once when I was young." She did not give him a chance to reply, turning to continue onward. Sans stood where he was, maintaining a smile, but he bowed his head a bit. An upsetting thought came to him, and in that moment, he had caught a glimpse of the same upsetting notion on Alice's part… only in her case, it was an inevitable, irreversible reality.

Alice raised a brow, seeing another of what she presumed to be one of Papyrus' puzzles up ahead. She sighed, about to approach when she heard another rustling in the trees, furrowing a brow before going up to them, parting a few branches to see if she could detect anything. As she did so, Papyrus came up from behind, tilting his head, startling Alice when he spoke in a loud voice.

"There are no puzzles in there, human!" Papyrus said. "The next challenge is just up there-"

"Will you be quiet?! I heard something! You could wake the dead with how noisy you are!" Alice huffed.

"Everyone except my lazy brother, it would seem… but uh…" Alice grimaced as he leaned forward, standing right next to her as he gave her a side glance. "What are you looking for, anyway? Do you like snow covered trees? Do humans find them fascinating? Perhaps I could make a puzzle with them!"

"You just cannot control yourself, can you? If you must know, I was seeking out a potential threat." Alice replied.

Papyrus gasped then. "Wait a minute… don't tell me- you are looking out for me! How remarkable, when here I am trying to capture you! I am humbled, human. Because of your kind concern, I, the great Papyrus, shall take the liberty of helping you to solve the next puzzle!"

Alice snickered lightly, shaking her head a bit. "That is most generous of you. Do lead the way."

Papyrus nodded, walking proudly. "So, tell me, human, did you enjoy the pasta I left for you?"

"Regrettably no, I don't have much of an appetite at the moment, I'm afraid." Alice said, for it wasn't really a lie.

"How kind of you to leave some for me then!" Papyrus turned then. "Human, is it… that you possibly wish to be… friends with me?"

Alice blinked, exhaling slowly. "Oh, I thought you would never guess!" She said sarcastically, guessing her tone of voice would go straight over the poor sap's head anyhow.

"Oh, human… that is…" Papyrus scratched the back of his skull. "The last human that- it's just…"

Alice sighed lightly, stopping the taller skeleton. "Look… as much as I… love your puzzles and appreciate your company, I need your help."

"To tell you the truth, human… as much as I too, appreciate your desire for friendship… it is a bit worrisome. See, the last human I befriended was very kind like you… but Dr. Alphys… she notified me of a certain change in her behavior… she said it was highly unusual… I'm afraid that the same could happen to you, human… it seems that human souls are a funny thing." Papyrus said.

"You must take me to this human, Papyrus… your world is in danger, I know that. But I cannot do it without knowing more of this place first. Here… how about this. If you help me to assist those in need of my aid… then I will help you get into the royal guard." Alice said.

"You mean… you will let me capture you?" Papyrus asked hopefully.

"Yes." Alice said, huffing lightly. This wasn't the oddest task she had put herself up to; nothing could beat playing croquet with the Queen, or tea time with the Hatter.

"Hey." Sans said, Alice turning as he seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "Take her to the library. That ought to get her started. I'll come with you guys."

"A splendid idea, Sans! It's a shame the town has evacuated, I could have given the human a proper tour!" Papyrus said, marching ahead as he hummed a tune. Alice watched him curiously until she noticed Sans was at her side, glancing up at her.

"She had liked his shenanigans, I could tell." He said quietly. "None of us know what happened… but it wasn't supposed to. It isn't right. See… when something messes with you bad enough, human or monster… you don't stay you anymore. You become something else. I hope you're prepared for that if that time ever comes."

"She?" Alice looked down at him as he stared ahead at his brother. "I know you would do what is necessary to keep him safe. Rest assured, Sans… he is not malicious, therefore I shall do him no harm."

"Good. He's the only one I've got left and I don't plan on losing him again." Sans said, motioning for Alice to follow him as they headed into town.

"… Again?" Alice said to herself, furrowing a brow as she moved to keep up.

* * *

 **Well, what has Alice gotten herself into? There is still a lot of mystery going on here, can she be able to solve it along with you, readers? Fear not, for more is soon to come! Please leave your thoughts in a review in the meantime and check out my other stories if you would be so kind! Thank you again for reading and see you next time!**


	3. The First Encounter

**Good afternoon, readers! I hope you all had a happy new year! I have a small chapter whipped up for you, and I want to take a moment to thank you all so far for your support so far! Please enjoy as always!**

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Once inside the library, Alice went over to the bookshelves, scanning the titles. She selected a few books, reading through them fairly quickly. "Monster souls… magic… turns to dust… 'new home…' again with the lack of originality, goodness gracious…" She sighed, closing the last book and returning it to its place on the shelf. "Well, at least it gave me somewhat of an insight to this place… but I need to apply that to my next course of action. It's a shame everyone evacuated, some personal testimony would have been a greater help. I suppose I could seek out the bone brothers again." She exited the library, continuing past a large house with two mailboxes out front; one was overflowing, and the other was completely empty. As she continued east, she saw Papyrus standing in the distance, slowing to a stop as he stood perfectly still.

"Human… I can see that you desire to be friends with I, the great Papyrus. I don't understand your aversion to puzzles, but… human, I must confess… another human friend of mine has started to go down a dark path. Perhaps I didn't tutor her well enough… but maybe I can do that for you. I think everyone can be a good person if they try hard enough. If I, the great Papyrus, can make a difference for the better… it would be worth everything I had worked for."

Alice's expression softened, taking a step closer. She paused when she heard snow shifting a bit behind a rock, glancing towards it for a moment. She looked up at Papyrus, maintaining a smile, but she could see unsureness in his features. "Allow me to assure you of one thing." She said, looking at Papyrus… but as Sans hid behind the rock, he knew she was addressing him also, his calmness slowly dissipating as one eye began to glow, clenching a fist. "I have slaughtered many, I have gutted creatures standing in my way dry. I have watched my enemies writhe until their rightful death." Papyrus furrowed his brow bone as Alice paused for a moment. "I have been lied to and betrayed… my mind has been used for a toy by those who sought my downfall. Climbing back up from those points is like climbing a mountain. It is a rough, dangerous journey… but when you reach the top, what do you find?"

"Uh… Spaghetti?" Papyrus chuckled nervously.

Alice huffed with slight annoyance. "No. You find clarity. Freedom." With each phrase, she took a step closer. "The truth of yourself and those around you. All the masks disappear. There is not one reality, but many, and they are all connected. There are very few who have the ability to see these connections… and though they are all enriching in their own right… the truth can sometimes be a terrible thing." She was now right in front of Papyrus, suddenly smirking lightly. "You know… if I were to give you a top hat to wear, you would remind me very much of a friend I know. You obsess over cooked pasta as he does over tea." She turned as Sans emerged, the glow in his left eye diminishing. He gave her a silent nod, Alice returning the gesture.

"Wait a minute… yes, the truth can be painful… wait. Are you saying that you… want to date me?!" Papyrus beamed. "Boy, I must be a human magnet! Nyeh heh heh! Fear not, my lovely dame, I shall take you under my wing and make sure you stay sweet and loveable!"

Sans actually snickered as Alice stared at him with a bewildered expression. "Are you suggesting… that you wish to court me?" She asked flatly.

"Alas, I have once again fallen victim to the charms of a human! So easily drawn into the friend zone, perhaps I really am that irresistible! I'll never hear the end of it from Undyne! These feelings inside are so complex… the want to be in the royal guard… I am so conflicted!" Papyrus exclaimed.

Alice groaned inwardly, deciding to pull some teeth and play along. "You poor thing. Your struggle is of my doing, it was unconsciously done. Perhaps you should take some time to sort out your thoughts."

"What a truly wonderful human you are, feeling concern for me! Yes, that is a splendid idea! And while I do that, I will feed the pet rock! Sans forgot to, AGAIN." Papyrus grumbled as he headed towards the house, leaving Alice and Sans to themselves. Hands still in his pockets, he stepped up to her as she turned a bit to glance at him with hint of wariness.

"Thanks, kid." Sans said.

"I know you would have certainly tried to take off my head if I would have done anything malicious, rightfully so." Alice said.

"Damn straight." He said, glancing in the direction his brother went.

"Fortunately for you…" Alice said as she straightened the creases in her dress. "… I know the inconsolable pain of what losing a sibling is like. So, what right to I have to inflict that upon someone else? Besides… I know we'll enough that neither one of you are responsible for this world's imminent doom." Alice exhaled sharply. "Well, apparently I now have a date to attend to, so I should get to it so I can resume my primary business." She said as she moved past Sans.

Sans stared after her for a moment, his turn now to soften a bit. "Hey, kid…"

"I will only reply to that term so many times before I tire completely of it." Alice said as she crossed her arms. "Yes?"

Sans hesitated for a moment, closing his eyes briefly. "… maybe you aren't as bad as you come off."

Alice actually smiled a bit at this, the two finally breaking down the first layer of their wall as she made her way back towards the house. Once she was out of Sans' sight, she stopped when she heard rustling in the trees. She became alert, deciding to investigate this repetitive phenomenon. She ventured into the trees, seeing nothing at first. She heard a quiet giggle followed by more footsteps, snow crunching as she whirled around in an attempt to find its source. Sensing something suspicious, she withdrew her vorpal blade, remaining vigilant. She stopped, sensing a presence behind her. Before she could turn fast enough, she felt a sharp pain in her leg, crying out as she fell forward. As she tried to get up, she felt something hard hit her head, dropping her blade. Her assailant grunted, about to bash her head in repeatedly before she heard a voice in the distance. Pausing, she growled, snatching Alice's blade before running off quickly.

"Human! I am ready for our date now, so you can come inside my luxurious abode now!" Papyrus called out loudly. He stopped when he noticed footprints leading into the trees. "Oh, I remember your fascination with trees, did you perhaps wish to dine here instead-" He stopped when he came upon Alice, his smile completely fading for the first time when he realized she had been badly hurt. Shocked, he gasped as he quickly inspected the general damage, neglecting to search for smaller details as he scooped her up, bounding out of the woods quickly. "Sans! Sans, the human, she's hurt! Sans!" He cried in a panic as he held an unconscious Alice.

Alice groaned as she came to sometime later, hissing as she nursed the back of her head. "What in the bloody hell..." Alice growled lowly as her vision cleared, looking around to find herself in some sort of shed. A rope was tied loosely around her, and she easily shrugged out of it as she shakily stood to her feet. Not knowing where she was, she went to get her vorpal blade when she realized she was groping at empty space. She glanced down, searching through the sash of her dress and around her, swearing under her breath when she noticed it was missing. She also noticed what seemed to be a small amount of dust sprinkled a bit on her shoulders, brushing it off with her hand. Everything came back to her then, remembering that she had been knocked out before she could identify her assailant. "Well, isn't this lovely..." She exhaled sharply, noticing wide gaps in the bars of this- what was this, anyway? Was this supposed to be a prison? A very ineffective one, if it was. As she was about to make her way out, Papyrus unlocked the door, hurrying in to see Alice awake.

"Human, you have recovered! I was so worried, I thought perhaps you wanted to have our date in the woods, but I saw you had gotten hurt and I, the great Papyrus, rescued you! Also, I took the liberty of capturing you, because I have quite obviously already captured your heart! Human, I would never wish any harm on someone who cared about me so much. After all, friends look out for one another, right?"

Alice blinked, still a bit woozy and could not fully process his rambling as Sans entered. Hoping he would shed some clarity on the situation, she was about to ask him a question when Sans extended a hand, taking some of the powder left on her dress in his hand, feeling it in his fingers.

"Sans... what is that, exactly? I found it on me when I came to. Also... my blade seems to have gone missing." Alice said.

The shorter skeleton was silent for a moment, his eyes darkening. "This is monster dust. This is what happens when a monster dies... they turn into this." Sans said. "Someone is trying to frame you, kid."

"Would not be the first time. I do sincerely apologize, but I must find whomever is behind this." Alice said.

"But, our date…" Papyrus frowned.

"Here bro, give her your phone number. You can talk to her while she runs around the joint." Sans said, handing Alice a cellphone.

"Where did you get that from?" Papyrus asked.

"Eh, around." Sans replied.

Alice blinked, holding the device in her hand. "Do forgive me, I am not familiar with this contraption." She tilted her head.

"Fear not! I, the great Papyrus, will show you!"

As Alice listened to the taller skeleton chatter as he showed her how to use the device, Sans glanced back when he heard a low growl from within the trees, gritting his teeth as his eye sockets narrowed. When Alice seemed to get the hang of it- she was a quick learner after all- she gave him a nod.

"Thank you for your enlightening demonstration… I do wish you the best, but I must away." Alice said, about to head off before she was stopped by Papyrus hugging her.

"Thank you for being our friend, Alice. I believe you will succeed so we can cook Spaghetti together sometime!" Papyrus smiled.

Alice cleared her throat, hugging him back awkwardly. She gave him a wave, passing Sans a few yards ahead.

"Hey." He said quietly. "Just… keep an eye out. Or don't… after all, kind of hard to pop it back in, right?" He chuckled lightly, Alice rolling her eyes. "But jokes aside… there's some dangerous stuff out there."

"Thank you for your concern. As soon as I find my blade I'll be right as rain." She took a few steps forward before Sans gave her one final warning.

"Alice… if you find her… do not engage her. Whatever you do, do not provoke her to fight you. She will kill you at whatever cost." He said. "I'm rooting for you, kid."

Alice gave him a nod, wishing he was more specific but chose to heed his advice nonetheless. She continued along the snowy path, stopping when she saw something glowing in midair. Narrowing her eyes a bit, she approached it warily, extending a finger to touch it. When she did, it's glow enveloped her for a moment, the small, star like object trembling for a moment before a small, folded piece of paper fell from it. It was charred on the edges, Alice unfolding it to read the words. 'Saving someone from enduring the pain you feel of losing a beloved sibling.' She tilted her head, blinking as she suddenly felt that feeling again. "… determination…" Alice said as the paper dissolved from her hands. She continued along, a vast darkness up ahead contrasting the light she was leaving behind. As she made her way through the reeds, she suddenly heard rustling. Realizing she was not alone, Alice gritted her teeth, wielding her pepper gun as she kept vigilant. As she heard the sound of the rustling coming closer, faster, she braced herself for whatever was coming her way as it threatened to emerge in mere moments.

* * *

 **Well, I hope Alice has prepared herself! Will she find her vorpal blade? Who will be the one to emerge in the reeds? Who exactly did Sans warn her of, and does this correlate to who attacked her in the woods? This was a bit of a shorter chapter, but I thought this was a good cliffhanger to end on. Please leave your thoughts in a review and stay tuned for more updates!**


	4. Of Spears and Suspicions

**Good morning, everyone! I am back to bring you relief from the last cliffhanger! How will Alice fare this time? Thank you all again for the support thus far, and please continue to enjoy!**

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Alice reared her hobby horse back, preparing to strike when the creature emerged from the reeds, and Alice had to stop mid swing upon doing a double take. She raised a brow, releasing the breath she had been holding as she lowered her weapon. "Oh, for goodness sakes!" She said when she saw that not only was this creature clearly not a threat, it had fallen flat on its face.

"Hi, lady!" The small, armless monster chirped, flashing her a toothy smile. "You didn't evacuate either, huh? Yeah, why evacuate when we have Undyne to protect us? Nobody can beat her!"

"Undyne?" Alice tilted her head. "And who might that be?" She asked, kneeling down a bit. "It's a good thing I paid attention, otherwise I would have very well used your head as a croquet ball."

"She's the captain of the royal guard, the best warrior of them all!" The monster kid answered enthusiastically.

"Royal guard...?" Alice thought aloud, remembering what Papyrus had said about wanting to become a member. "Perhaps it is she who Sans warned me about? Perhaps it is she who attacked me as well." She turned back to the monster kid. "I wouldn't stay out here by yourself, you've barely got your sea legs about you, let alone the ability to properly defend yourself. You'd best follow me to somewhere safer than here."

"Okay!" Monster kid nodded, following Alice out of the reeds.

They made their way towards a series of natural springs and waterfalls, Alice wading through the shallow waters as monster kid jumped through the puddles, giggling and engaging the Echo Flowers as they glowed. Alice could not help but become absorbed in the atmosphere, glancing around as she noticed the glowing flora and mushrooms. "Hm... somehow I feel like I'm right at home."

Alice craned her head, seeing a bridge up ahead. Wondering if this was a sign that the next town was not far off, she sighed with relief, motioning for monster kid to follow her. Just when she was a few yards away, Alice heard a sound, stopping and holding a hand behind her to stop monster kid, listening closer. Just when she thought all was clear and was about to proceed, She gasped as she saw someone descend from above a high cliff, crying out as she barely had time to whip out her hobby horse and protect herself from being impaled, the point of a spear inches from her face. Alice clenched her jaw, seeing the wielder of the weapon was completely concealed in armor, but their battle cry rang loudly as Alice managed to shove them back. The armored warrior skidded to a stop, using the spear to stop their momentum before yanking it out of the ground.

"You're DEAD, human!" The warrior spat. "I will not allow another murderer to pass through here!"

"Murderer? I beg your pardon, but that is not something I feel I deserve to be termed as." Alice replied, crossing her arms.

"Well, guess what?! I don't freaking care what you think!" The warrior shouted. "It's just you and me; one of us lives, one of us dies! So just shut up and fight me already!"

"How rude!" Alice exclaimed, the warrior grabbing one of their spears to hurl it at Alice. She reared her hobby horse back, using it to hammer it into the spears coming at her, sending them every which way. When she dodged one and it was about to hit monster kid, she quickly grabbed him, yanking him out of the way before it impaled him.

"Wow, this is AWESOME!" The kid beamed.

"Glad you seem to be enjoying this spectacular performance, I wish I could say the same!" Alice cried out as the warrior charged at her. Alice burst into butterflies, quickly darting in a zig zag motion as the warrior hunted her down, her metal clad feet clanging on the ground as she did so.

"Get back here and FIGHT me, you coward! You can prey on monsters weaker than you but you won't face me?!" The warrior screamed as Alice darted over the bridge, monster kid barely able to keep up with her. When he was halfway across, he tripped over himself, the impact of his fall causing part of the bridge to collapse. When his surprised yelp was heard, Alice stopped, reforming for a moment to see his descent.

"Oh, blast it all!" Alice exclaimed, bursting into butterflies once again to dive down towards the small reptilian creature. She reformed in midair, grabbing one of his feet to ascend to the top of the ledge on the other side of the bridge.

As Alice regained her footing, she turned to see the warrior on the other side of the bridge, chuckling lowly.

"Just what kind of game do you think you're playing, murderer? Or should I say, Alice?" The warrior spoke.

"How in bloody hell do you know my name?" Alice asked.

The warrior scoffed, withdrawing something out of her small satchel. Alice's eyes widened when the warrior held out her own blade, her name etched into the handle, of course. "Not a very smart murderer, are you? Thinking you can just fake innocence by passing your weapon onto your accomplice!"

"Accomplice? Are you mad? I have no accomplice!" Alice exclaimed.

"You can lie to me all you want, human." The warrior spat. "But since we're being all chummy, I may as well let you see the face of your soon to be killer!" The warrior drew back their helmet, revealing a water nymph type creature with long, fire red hair in a tight ponytail. "I am Undyne, captain of the guard and protector of monsters! If you humans think you can just go around and kill anything that moves, well I'm gonna give you a taste of your own medicine!"

"I just saved this little one right before your very eyes and you continue to wrongly accuse me! I think you're framing me to be this murderer you are claiming against me! It was you who took my weapon and knocked me out bloody cold!" Alice exclaimed. "If you think for one moment I am a fool, I-"

"Enough of your made up sob story, I know you're up to some trick so just shut up!" Undyne shouted, hurling another spear at Alice. The young woman gasped, whipping out her umbrella to deflect spear after spear until Undyne had to duck quickly, one just barely missing her head as it rebounded.

"Run!" Alice shouted to monster kid, the two fleeing towards the next town while Undyne regained her balance from the quick dodge. Her bulky armor made it a bit harder to move, giving Alice an opportunity to escape. As they ran, Alice noticed a sudden, drastic change in the environment as they passed the borderline. She could feel the temperature rising quickly, glancing back to see that Undyne had leapt over the broken bridge, remaining hot on their tail. However, it seemed that she began to become TOO hot, and Undyne started to slow down when she felt like she was roasting inside her armor. She wheezed, unable to keep running as she fell forward, her gills fluttering as she rapidly dehydrated. Alice glanced over her shoulder, seeing this even as the monster kid continued onward. Biting her lip, Alice realized she was faced with a difficult choice. She could leave Undyne to perish and live another day... but deep down, Alice knew that Undyne's intentions were for the welfare of her people. She couldn't discredit her for that despite her stubborness. Conveniently enough, there was a water cooler just a few feet from where Alice was standing. She withdrew a cup, filling it up and began to walk it over to her. After all, there was another issue Alice needed to figure out, one that only Undyne would be able to assist her with- if she would cooperate, that is. What was that odd accusation that she claimed against her? Was she really the one who attacked her in Snowdin? She lifted up Undyne's head, dribbling some water on her lips to help her drink. "She had bloody well be grateful for this." Alice said.

Eventually, Undyne came to, groaning as she sat up and rubbed her head. She glanced over at Alice, scowling with resentment as she went to make her way back to Snowdin.

"I can't believe I was so stupid..." She growled to herself.

"Now hang on, there's something I'd like to ask you!" Alice called out.

"Don't think I'm going to even think about having a conversation with the likes of YOU, human." Undyne spat. "The only good thing about my horrible failure to destroy you is that a good friend of mine has already evacuated the rest of the population where you will never find them!"

"Just answer me one thing!" Alice exclaimed. "Was it you who attacked me in the forest?"

"That would have been a nice idea... I saw you talking with my friend Papyrus and decided to stalk you for a bit. I was going to get you, but I saw your friend running with your knife. While she was putting on some victim act, I snatched it from her. I can't believe I even considered being friends with that little brat, it was all a trick!" Undyne jabbed a finger at Alice.

"Wait a moment... who was it who had my blade? Which, by the way-" Alice snatched it out of Undyne's satchel in one quick motion, making her shout and try to grab it back. "-is mine."

"That little human kid that's been suddenly killing everything in her path, that's who! Papyrus and I had given her our phone numbers, and she seemed pretty cool for a while... but then she started acting all weird, and was saying all this bizarre stuff and started being a big jerk!" Undyne said. "So I'm not falling for anything you have to say!"

"Then don't, I could care less if we get out of thie acquaintences or not, but if we can at least get out of this alive and in one piece, it will be worth the wear. You must tell me everything you know about this child, I must find her. Whether or not you choose to believe me, I was called to this world to help save it from annihalation." Alice said.

"I can tell you everything you need to know!"

A nasally voice suddenly sounded, Alice's head popping up as she looked for its source.

"No, she can't be trusted!" Undyne shouted to whomever had spoken.

"Undyne, just leave it to me, okay? I've got this! Oh, and by the way Alice, I'm speaking over the loudspeaker, the building just right ahead- there you go! Hi there, um... this may seem a bit weird, sorry..."

"Trust me, I've experienced much wierder than this... have you ever shrunk to a mere three inches high?" Alice said to the building as she approached it, smacking Undyne's hand away when she went to grab her arm without missing a step.

"Wait... what?" The voice asked.

Alice shook her head. "Never mind... though I would greatly appreciate a face to face conversation, this just isn't very proper."

"I'm telling you, do not open those doors!" Undyne shouted, clenching her jaw. "If she does anything to you I'll-"

"Don't worry Undyne, I'll be okay. Just... I know you don't trust her, for good reason... but you have to trust ME on this, okay?"

Undyne shut her eyes tightly, growling lowly. "Fine... I'm going to patrol the border. If anything, I mean ANYTHING, happens, you call me." She then glared at Alice. "And if anything DOES happen, I'll slice your head clean off your shoulders, you understand?!"

"Trust me, this is not the first time I've had that threat thrown at me." Alice replied simply, making Undyne angrier at how unfazed she was. The sound of metal doors unlocking followed by the hiss of released air pressure was heard, the doors opening to allow Alice into the building.

As she made her way inside, she had an uneasy feeling; the white tiles and walls sparked the unfriendly reminder of the atmosphere in Rutledge Asylum; the neat, impeccable white walls were merely a rouse, a mask to conceal the true horrors what occured within their enclosed space. Trying to chase these thoughts from her mind, Alice proceeded forth, doing a double take when she furrowed her brows at somwthing. She approached a large TV screen, not familiar with any of the equipment she had seen, and was a bit unsettled when she found herself staring at the back of her own head. She glanced behind her, not seeing anyone there, before looking at the screen again in utter confusion. Before she could inspect further, she heard someone approaching, glancing to the side to see what appeared to be an orange dinosaur creature making their way towards her. She wore glasses and a white lab coat, Alice blinking in surprise.

"Oh, I see you were admiring my state-of-the-art surveillance system! I have cameras set up all over the underground to track any human visitors. M- My name is Dr. Alphys, I'm the royal scientist of the underground."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintence, finally someone who I can have a rational conversation with." Alice said, extending her hand and Alphys shook it timidly. "Perhaps you can shed some light on what seems to be going on here."

"Y- Yes... but first, um... if you don't mind, I need to just finish up a couple tests here, don't mind if I just-"

"Ouch!" Alice cried when Alphys pricked her skin, gathering a small blood sample and placing it inside a petri dish. "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"I- I'm sorry, please! There isn't much time, and I really need to see what could have gone wrong, this is all speculatory, you see... but I need to figure out what could have caused such a drastic change in behavior..." Alphys muttered to herself.

"Would you kindly explain what it is you're doing, especially if it involves injury on my part?" Alice asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I am performing a series of tests on a few different souls... they seem to attribute to different qualities, but there is more to these souls than I thought." Alphys said. "I need to find the answer before it's too late."

"Souls?" Alice furrowed a brow.

"Yes... see, you have the greatest amount of determination, it is associated with your soul type. I am going to advise the king to absorb the six he has collected... but I wanted to do some tests on them first. You see... in order to break the barrier separating this world from the surface, it takes the power of seven human souls." Alphys said. When Alice looked at her uneasily, Alphys held her hands up. "D- Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you or anything!"

"Famous last words, I've had several individuals attempt this already since my arrival here." Alice said, crossing her arms. "So... what are you testing, exactly? How my soul will fare in earning your freedom?"

"N- No, see..." Alphys sighed. "There is another human who came through here not long ago... a child. A- Acording to my surveillance, she started out very kind and friendly to all the monsters here... but then I noticed she was... struggling with something. As if she was fighting something on the inside. Her behavior began to change drastically, she began killing monsters, acting totally unlike what we had all come to know... Sans told me that something is wrong with her soul... that she wasn't in control of it anymore. This is when I began to do further testing."

"That must be the child who attacked me..." Alice thought aloud.

"I discovered that human souls, if powerful enough, can split and live in more than one human host. Two seperate people, but sharing the same soul. Almost like a joint control, the original soul holder can influence the other hosts housing their soul, unless the host is powerful enough to resist its influence. Also, I discovered that the alignment of the influence on a soul can change the outcome of the host's nature." Alphys said. "I would have never done this if Sans hadn't told me to look into it... but in the case of our little human friend, I just... don't know how anyone can help her at this point."

"So this... 'barrier...' why can you not just use monster souls to break it?" Alice asked.

"Our souls aren't powerful enough- see, our power comes from magic. It's not a strong physical component, however, so it dissipates when it leaves its host, whereas human souls persist even after death. Monsters can absorb a human soul for this reason, but humans can't absorb another human soul." Alphys said.

"This is all quite overwhelming, but I think I understand. So, this human child you claim is-" Alice stopped when she heard something, craning her head to look past Alphys. She jumped when she heard a loud thud, and Alphys winced, slowly looking behind her.

"Oh boy..." Alphys whined.

"What am I bracing myself for now?" Alice groaned.

"... he's awake." Was all Alphys replied.

* * *

 **Oh boy, from one cliffhanger to another! Who could Alphys be referring to? I hope you all like some of the incorporated theories I have on the aspects of souls, and how they may affect events in the game. Please leave your own thoughts in a review, and stay tuned for upcoming chapters! Thanks again for reading!**


	5. The Game

**Good afternoon, readers! I am back with a brand new chapter cooked up just for you! This one is going to have some action in it, so prepare yourselves! Thank you all again for your support thus far, and I hope you enjoy!**

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Before Alice could even ask who "he" was, there was a loud blast from down the corridor, Alphys wincing a bit. "Mettaton, I just fixed that from your last 'grand entrance!'"

"Every one of my entrances are grand, Alphys; especially when we have a NEW contestant!" A loud, boisterous voice sounded as a rectangular robot on wheels rolled out from the wall he broke out of. Alice raised a brow, shooting Alphys a flat look.

"I really do hate you scientific types, your creations are more of a nuisance than an assistance." Alice snapped.

"Is that what you REALLY think, Alice?" The robot asked in a sing-song tone.

"How is it that everyone seems to already know my name without proper introductions?" Alice put her hands on her hips.

"Such a GREAT feeling, isn't it? In your case though, the walls have ears in this place!" Mettaton emitted a metallic laugh. "But enough of the casual chat... it's time to begin my BRAND NEW gameshow! I adopted this one from a dear friend of mine, so I hope he doesn't mind me saying that it's a real SHOCKER!"

"Mettaton, don't!" Alphys whined.

"Come now, Alphys... beauty is nice, but it doesn't tell what could be hiding... so, I have something that does!" Mettaton exclaimed, Alice gasping as she felt a gloved hand shove her forward, a chair extending forward from the wall where Mettaton had blasted out of. His gloved hands spun her around as she stumbled so she fell right into the chair, where she was immediately strapped in, her hands on two blue, glowing orbs that were fixed into the ends of the armrests.

"What the bloody hell- get me out of here at once!" Alice shrieked- she did not like being restrained in the slightest.

"Ap ap ap! That wouldn't make for a very interesting game now, would it?" Mettaton laughed.

"Is this really necessary?" Alphys huffed.

"Aww, don't fret, Alphys! You can be my lovely assistant! Now as much as my viewers LOVE my sultry voice, I think we need to teach little miss know it all here that scientists like you should be appreciated! After all, that's how I was created, is it not?" Mettaton laughed.

"And what a marvelous contribution to society you are! Tell me, do you think that speaking louder will make up for your sheer lack of relevant intelligence?" Alice snapped. She was about to say something else when Mettaton covered her mouth with one of his gloved hands as it extended forward.

"Please hold all questions until the end of the- ow! Alphys, she bit me! Well, seems humans are really nasty little things, aren't they?" Mettaton exclaimed.

"M- Maybe we should just get on with the game... get it over with..." Alphys muttered the last part.

"What a splendid suggestion, Alphys! Now, here is how the game works! It's quite simple, really... I will ask you a question. Now, you will answer said question; but here is the twist, because twists are such a delicious treat after all... you are now hooked up to a lie detector... approximately 99% and some decimal points effective, whatever, that is more up Alphys' alley... along with her little anime shows, but that is besides the point!" Mettaton said.

"Come on, I can't help that they're so good!" Alphys whined. "Except for the sequel to Mew Mew Kissy-"

"AAANYWAY! Back to me! Now, every time you tell the truth, we move onto the next question! Simple, right? But every time you lie, those orbs there are going to give you quite a nasty shock. So of course, that would want to be avoided, unless you like that sort of thing!" Mettaton said.

Alice stared daggers at the robot. "You know, Alphys, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a failed experiment, seeing that this bastard is the only twisted one around here, unless you're just as sick as he is!"

"Now young lady, this is a family friendly show, that sort of language will not be condoned!" Mettaton said.

"Oh suck on an egg you clanking pile of junk!" Alice snapped, hissing when Mettaton shocked her.

"That is quite enough. I think it's time to get this game started." Mettaton said a bit darkly, a slot opening on his side before he withdrew a small piece of paper from it. "Alphys, won't you do the honors? This is just a test question to make sure the system is working properly."

"Mettaton, can't we just-"

"Alphys, you're not being a very good assistant!" Mettaton said in a sing-song tone.

"Okay..." Alphys sighed. "What is your name?"

"Alice Liddell, you oversized rubbish bin!" She spat, and a small ding was heard.

"Fabulous! That was just a test... now the real game begins! Ready? No? Too bad!" Mettaton laughed, producing another paper for Alphys to read.

"Oh dear, um... why are you here in the underground... really?" Alphys read.

"I am here because I was called to this world. There are those who call to me with intention, and those who do not, those with incredible minds that surpass that of a normal person's. However, I have discovered that this is no mind I have entered. It's interesting how this world was left out of the history books... or... perhaps it wasn't. I wouldn't have the slightest idea, I only have the technical equivalent of a second grade education." Alice shrugged as she stared at the faceless machine arrogantly. "But I suppose it's more than you have."

At the sound of a ding, Mettaton cleared his throat. "Doing well so far, it seems... unfortunately for me, that is not settling well with our viewers." He said, handing Alphys the next slip of paper.

"A- Are you... oh Mettaton, isn't this being a bit too blunt-"

"Darling, we only have so much airtime, please just read the question." Mettaton interrupted.

"Are you... a cold blooded killer?" Alphys asked.

"Why does everyone assume this of me! Of course not! If I was, wouldn't I have already-" Alice gasped, hissing when she felt the stinging voltage of a shock followed by the sound of Mettaton gasping.

"Well, well, well! It's time for fast fess up! You have thirty seconds to tell us the truth! For every thirty seconds you don't spill the beans, I push this button." Mettaton says.

"I'm not telling you another thing, you calamitous sod!" Alice spat.

"Someone doesn't want to cooperate with their host! Well that's tough for you, because it's time for the lightning round!" Just then, Alice's eyes widened as suddenly, the metal rectangle before her began to change, reform in a human image. The formerly bulky machine now had a sleek body, arms, legs, and a head that flipped bobbed black hair seductively as he flashed a smile. "So, my darling murderer, who did you kill? A monster? Some other innocent life who had so many fabulous achievements to gain?" Mettaton asked.

"Get me out of this bloody chair before I slice your head off!" Alice shouted, struggling against her restraints.

"Ah, there is our killer talking! Not going to be deceptive like our former guest, are we? It must be so tiring to put on that charade!" Mettaton laughed.

"You're speaking of the child, aren't you? That's who I'm here to-"

"I am the one who asks the questions here!" Mettaton interrupted, waving his index finger at her as he leaned in. "All you are is a pretty face, darling... and as a beauty connoisseur, you aren't fooling me!"

Alice glared up at Mettaton, her eyes burning as she tightened her lips, sending her foot forward and nearly knocking the robot down when she kicked his leg. He gasped, wearing a horrified expression as Alice forced an angry laugh. "What's wrong, princess, did I leave a nice scuff?"

Mettaton grabbed the button remote, about to press it when Alphys interjected.

"Okay Mettaton, there is something I really need to tell you-"

"You never answered my question, Alice!" Mettaton said in a sing-song tone, but he had a growl to it as he pressed his thumb down on the button. "Who did you kill, Alice? Whose life did you take for your own sick enjoyment, HMM? You think I am going to allow any more of my beloved viewers perish at the hands of a human? I think not, darling! So answer the question..." He pressed the button down hard with every word he spoke in the next sentence. "Who... did... you... kill?"

The shocks made Alice's brain go into overload. Memories of unbelievable pain and torture came back to her, visions of being in straitjackets, being thrown about like a slab of meat and being treated with electroshock therapy made her clench her jaw before she finally released the building tension inside her."

"DOCTOR ANGUS BUMBY! That poisonous name is but a taste of that wretched man's true nature! Are you satisfied?" Alice's voice cracked.

Alphys' eyes widened as Mettaton gasped dramatically. "A doctor?! You... you fiend! You would kill someone like Alphys! Can you go no lower, Alice? To my viewers, you can now submit your answers to what you think the answer is on my online poll!"

"No! He was no doctor, he was a demon in the flesh! You have no idea what it's like to watch your entire family be burned to smithereens, your home, everything you ever loved! Then, oh then after losing everything, to live in a bloody torture chamber for an entire decade thinking it was your fault when the real murderer was living in luxury while he turned dozens of children into feed for swine!" Alice finally broke down, and Alphys furrowed her brows when she heard a small ding. She and Mettaton were quiet for a moment, Alphys biting her lip as she snatched the remote out of his hand.

"Alphys, don't-"

"I think you've seen enough, Mettaton. I know I have." She said, going over to release Alice from her restraints.

The moment Alice was released from her bonds, she shoved past Alphys forcefully, exiting the other side of the lab despite hearing her name being called. She ran until the was far away enough, gritting her teeth before emitting a frustrated scream. She exhaled sharply, closing her eyes for a moment before reopening them. "I promised myself that I would never go back to that place again... that I would never allow myself to be that vulnerable." She shook her head. "What am I doing...? Have I strayed so far from the path? Come now, Alice, you should know how to weed out the sensible from the nonsense by now..."

As Alice spoke to herself, something small emerged from the ground a few feet from where she was standing.

"You idiot. You thought you could just waltz into this world and sweep it off its feet when you aren't even completely put together yourself." Flowey said as Alice turned to glare at him. "You think you can find the kid, don't you? You think you can stop her from destroying everything, don't you? You can't. You won't. Because the one I have been waiting for, the one I have been anticipating to return has finally surfaced... and together, she and I are going to put this boring, redundant world to an end. We're going to gain all the power we can so we can finally control everything!"

"Again, the lack of originality in you is made evident. Even your motives are typical. Gain power, gain control, can't you do something better with yourself than project your misery upon others?" Alice asked.

"You've got some nerve to criticize me! I face my problems head on while you run away like a big baby! I've been watching you, Alice Liddell... you try to save others because you failed to save your family, and for years, you have regretted it. You think saving others from the same fate will fill that big void, but it won't do a damn thing! So you save a bunch of people, so WHAT?! It's always the same sappy love story over and over again! Living for others is stupid, because that doesn't matter! In the end, you are always alone. In the end, the ones you love the most, the ones you trust your very life to are the ones who betray you!" Flowey spat, his face contorting and twisting as he spoke. As Alice stormed over to lift her foot, he cackled. "Go ahead Alice, turn me into sap, you've got it in you! Or are YOU too much of a sap to do it?!"

Alice growled, taking a step back. "No. I won't stoop to your level, and I have a friend who would agree when I say you are an insult to all who are three inches high." She said, turning to walk away.

"You really are a wuss, aren't you? You think you really insulted me with that? You're weak, soft! You will never accomplish anything and you will lose everything!" Flowey shouted.

"Too bad for you, for I have nothing to lose." Alice replied before continuing on her way.

As Alice ventured onward, she took out a fan to cool herself. "This heat is stifling, but not so much as the residents within this atmosphere. I suppose this is the less irritating of the two." She said to herself, sighing with relief when she saw water up ahead. She approached it, whisking her hand to make a small glass bottle appear, using it to collect some water from the river to drink. Not as crisp as the icy water from Snowdin, but still refreshing nonetheless. When she heard the sound of shifting water, she looked up, her guard raised as a hooded figure approached on a rowboat. He stopped in front of her, Alice taking a step back.

"Tra la la. I am the riverman... or am I the riverwoman...? It doesn't really matter. I love to ride in my boat. Would you care to join me?" The hooded figure asked.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I'm running on a tight schedule. I need to find the palace." Alice replied.

"Wish to speak to king Asgore, do you? Well, you still have quite a ways to go. You've got to go through the core, and it can be dangerous at times. I only go where the river can take me; here, the waterfall, and Snowdin. Should you ever need a ride, I charge nothing. This is an enjoyment for me."

"Thank you kindly, I shall seek you out if a need ever arises." Alice replied, giving him a nod. As she stared to take her leave, she stopped when the river person had one more message to give her.

"One more thing, young lady... beware the man who speaks in hands."

Alice blinked, raising a brow. "Man who-... what do you mean by-" When she turned, Alice was surprised to see the river person was no longer there, leaving her to ponder upon their words. Before she could think too deeply into it, she was jostled from her thoughts when she was suddenly tackled to the ground, gasping as she shot her hands forward to brace her fall. She whipped her head around to see her assailant, her eyes widening when she was met with the sight of a little tomboyish girl in a striped shirt. Hands groped at her, trying to snatch Alice's vorpal blade. "Oh no you don't!" Alice shouted, shoving the child off of her as she quickly got to her feet.

"Give it to me!" The girl shouted, dark undertones in her voice.

"So you're the one everyone has been talking about, I presume... you've been quite naughty, gave me a nasty bump on my cranium." Alice said sternly.

"You don't belong here." The child spoke, clenching her fists. "This world is mine, go back to your own. I alone have the power now to do what I want with it. I know why you're here."

"Of course you do... everyone around here seems to already know who I am." Alice rolled her eyes. "So tell me... what is ruining this child to annihilate this place going to serve you? I suppose you have the same motives as that rotten little flower?"

"My affiliations are none of your concern. You will either return where you came from, or be destroyed with this world. Make your choice now." The child said.

"I'm sorry... but I'm afraid a little threat isn't going to intimidate me. Besides, I owe you for catching me off guard twice now, I need to sharpen up and it seems that you're going to be the one to help me do that." Alice replied.

"Hm... perhaps you misunderstood me. While you are too busy wasting your time trying to reason with these senseless fools, I am actually being productive. I sense it in you... determination. You've been through something like this before, haven't you? This struggle. Fighting for control, snatching it from your superior. Your determination overcame hers, your hatred for those who spited you drove you to strengthen your soul. But now, you've weakened. The enemy is all around you, trying to weaken your soul and make it vulnerable... penetrating your soul with useless emotions. Once the puncture is made, if town out, you bleed, diminish. You must make yourself stone again. I know you won't join me now, because you have made your choice. I also know you won't kill me, because you will also kill her. There is only one logical outcome. You will become the seventh soul to break the barrier, Alice. I shall make it so. Then I alone will ascend to the surface and destroy humanity in earnest." The child said.

Alice scoffed as the child withdrew their knife, she her vorpal blade. "Luckily for me, I find as much value in nonsense as I do in logic. When one cannot be relied on, the other becomes my safety net."

The child growled, lunging forward to try and stab Alice. She burst into butterflies, dashing behind the child as she fled.

"Come back here and confront your fate!" The child screamed, chasing after Alice.

The young woman rematerialized, running along the dry, barren ground. "As much as I would like to place her in time out, I am not quite ready to deal with her yet." She said to herself, slowing to a stop when she ran into what seemed to be a large kitchen in the middle of nowhere. "Oh dear, I do hope the Duchess isn't about..." Alice said to herself, jumping a bit when she turned to be hugged tightly by Mettaton.

"Oh, you poor, pitiful human! I had no idea you had such a... tragic backstory." He said dramatically as he held her shoulders, Alice raising her brows as he looked into her eyes. "It was wrong of me to judge a contestant without doing a background check first. To make it up to you, I will do an entire highlight starring you! A full half hour of you basking in the spotlight, darling! I was just so concerned for my family and adoring fans with one human murderer running around here, I was afraid that you would spell double trouble for me!"

Alice glanced back to see the child gaining up on her. "Speak of the little devil..." Alice muttered to herself. "I appreciate your offer and apology, but I have more urgent business to take care of at the moment, and I suggest you flee from here if you value your life."

"Mettaton!" Alphys shouted then, panting a bit. "Did you find the- human! Look out!"

"Uh hello, I clearly see her right here, sweetheart." Mettaton said as he flipped his hair out of his face, rolling his eyes.

"N- No, the OTHER human!" Alphys cried, Alice breaking out of Mettaton's hug just in time to block the child's attack. The robot emitted a girlish shriek, jumping right into Alphys' arms and waving his hands as he told her to run. "Come on, you're a ROBOT for mew mew's sake, Mettaton!" She grimaced as she struggled to carry him as they both got out of harm's way.

The child growled as Alice tucked her blade back into her dress, conjuring her hobby horse instead. As she swung it through the air, the child ducked down, sliding between Alice's feet. On the other side, Flowey suddenly popped up.

"Now, Flowey!" The child shouted as the small plant activated something near the stove Alphys and Mettaton were hiding behind. To their sudden shock, the child managed to grab Alphys, holding the blade of her knife against her neck. "Let's play a new game, shall we? In thirty seconds, I bleed her dry."

Alice clenched her jaw, dashing forward to grab Alphys, but the stove began to rise high in the air, ascending towards the sky. Without hesitation, Alice began to soar up after them, having a hard time keeping up at their speeds. She saw something zoom up past her, glancing up to see Mettaton catching up to them quickly. When Alice finally caught up, the child laughed sinisterly, grinning.

"Darling, this is not cute, now please give me back Alphys... she's quite dear to me." Mettaton said.

Alphys trembled with fear as the child's grin grew. "You want her back that badly, hmm? Well then... you did win my game, after all. But... there is a second half to my game. Alphys knows better than anyone that what goes up must come down, right?"

"Please stop this..." Alphys whimpered, tears brimming underneath her glasses. "Just give her back, give us back Fri-"

"The new game starts now." The child said darkly, shoving Alphys off the edge of the stovetop. As Mettaton and Alice dove down, the child pounced onto Mettaton's back, and as they struggled in midair, the robot's metallic shriek faded from Alice's hearing range as she continued her descent.

"Mustn't be late, Alice... there will be a steep price to pay this time for tardiness." Alice said to herself as she narrowed her eyes, keeping Alphys in her sight.

* * *

 **Oh dear, this has definitely taken a turn for the worse! Will Alice be able to save Alphys in time? Will the river person's warning need to be heeded? What lies ahead will be revealed in upcoming chapters! Thank you for reading, my lovely viewers, and I hope to see you tuned in for the next episode! ;)**


	6. Of Fighting and Sparing

**Greetings, readers! I have another chapter for you and the action continues! What will be the fate of Alphys and Mettaton? Read on and find out, and please enjoy as per the usual! Thank you again to all who have supported!**

* * *

Alice narrowed her eyes, embracing full focus as she sped downward towards Alphys. When she got close enough, she conjured her umbrella, not opening it, but holding it out. "Alphys! Position yourself upright and take this!" Alice shouted.

Alphys was falling in circles, screaming as she tried to do what Alice said. As she was clawing at the air, she accidentally knocked her glasses off, gasping as suddenly, everything became blurry. "A- Alice, I can't see anything-"

"You're not going to see anything permanently if you don't grab it!" Alice shouted, Alphys whimpering as she tried to grasp the blue object. Her claws finally got a good grip, holding it tight.

"Got it!" Alphys shouted.

"Now hurry, open up the umbrella and it shall break your fall!" Alice instructed.

"B- But Alice, the surface area isn't compatible with my mass, it will never-"

"Just open the bloody thing!" Alice shrieked. Alphys fumbled a bit, nearly losing the umbrella before managing to open it. She clung to the handle, shutting her eyes tightly as she bit her lip. After a few moments, Alice sighed as she touched down, crossing her arms as she retrieved the dinosaur's glasses. "You can open your eyes now, you're almost all the way down." Alice rolled her eyes.

Alphys cracked open an eye, gingerly extending a foot to feel the ground just a few inches beneath her. Her face lit up then, emitting a relieved chuckle as Alice placed her glasses back on her face. "Wow, that was amazing! This kind of thing only happens in anime! I owe you my life, Alice!"

Alice nodded to her once, but when something caught her eye, she blinked, taking a step back when Mettaton crash landed not far from them, the child being flipped off of his back as she rolled a few feet, struggling to get up once she stopped. Alphys gasped, running over to help Mettaton to his feet.

"Oh, Alphys dear, I'm all dented!" Mettaton whined.

"You're lucky you're in one piece! Come on, we haven't got time to waste! We've got to get going!" Alphys cried.

"You may want to get a move on, doctor..." Alice suddenly said lowly as the child shakily stood to her feet.

"Do you think you can change the fate of this useless world, Alice? Do you think you can prevent me from attaining absolution? I am from the forgotten time. I have seen much, even when the eyes I saw with were not mine. The time has come for this fantasy to end, and the lies that comprise it as well." The child said, slowly lifting her head to reveal crimson eyes, red as blood.

"Very well... I suppose we will just have to see about that." Alice replied as she gave Alphys and Mettaton a chance to flee back to the lab.

"You think you have saved them, Alice? Maybe now... in this moment... but in the end, it will be for naught. They will join the others when the time of deliverance has come. When there is only me and the void; a blank canvas in which to make my own masterpiece." The child said.

"You have a rather twisted sense of imagination, and if anyone knows about twisted imaginations, it would be me. Now enough of this diabolical chatter!" Alice shouted, wielding her hobby horse. "You will either retreat or deal with me!"

The child chuckled lowly. "You think you are a match for me? The more I gain of myself, the more of her-... the lie... is lost."

Alice hissed when the child lunged forward, barely able to dodge her attacks as she dove after Alice relentlessly. As the child was about to stab Alice's leg, she burst into butterflies, rematerializing behind her to grab the child's hands. As she tried to wrestle the knife away, the child growled, biting down hard on Alice's wrist. The older female cried out in pain, the child knocking her down as she tried to force the knife into Alice's throat. Using the handle of her hobby horse to prevent this, she used a sudden spurt of energy to shove the child off of her, losing her grip on the bladed weapon as the knife went flying. As the child clenched her jaw, crawling over to grab it, a metallic clang was heard as something pinned the knife to the ground.

"You're not going to do another thing while I'm around, PUNK!" Undyne shouted, picking up the knife and tossing it aside. Alice got to her feet, looking to Undyne with slight shock. The child stood still, her head bowed as her hand extended outward for some reason. "Alice, go to Alphys and she'll tell you how to get through the core!"

"Alright, but Undyne, perhaps you should-"

"Just go already!" Undyne shouted. "I have been training for this moment all my life... just tell Alphys that... oh never mind, just go!"

Alice gave her a nod, beginning to back track towards the lab. As she was turning however, something she spotted out of the corner of her eye, and Undyne did as well, shocked them to their own cores as the child's extended hand trembled, not having moved. However, something else had moved along the ground; by the time they both realized it, it was too late as the knife Undyne cast aside had gotten close enough for her to snatch it up. Alice gasped as the child reared her hand back, sending the knife hurling through the air. Undyne barely had a chance to move, hissing as she felt a sharp pain along the right side of her head. The child was about to attack again, but Alice reared her hobby horse back, sending the child flying into the river bank as she then tried to stay afloat, being washed downstream. Alice then hurried to Undyne, the side of her head bleeding profusely.

"Damn it... that little sucker made a fool out of me... got me good, huh?" Undyne chuckled lightly.

"Hush, save your breath. I need to get you out of this armor, it's dead weight." She said, freeing Undyne from the bulky material before hoisting her to her feet, placing Undyne's left arm around her own shoulders as she helped her towards the lab.

"Maybe you aren't a heartless murderer after all..." Undyne said lowly. "I... saw you save Alphys... it's why... I came to help you."

"Hush now, you must save your strength." Alice said, approaching the lab as she helped Undyne inside.

"U- Undyne!" Alphys whimpered. "Everything is gonna be okay, just... just hang on, okay?"

"I know it will be, Alphys... I just... I feel so stupid, how could I fail to dodge that attack...?" Undyne hissed lowly.

"Don't say that, just lie down- I'm going to bandage your head, okay?" Alphys came over with medical supplies, cleaning and bandaging the wound.

"Hey... Alphys...?" Undyne said quietly.

"Y- Yeah?"

"... you are one of the most awesome people I know. There are few people who have a passion like you do, and... I'm glad I know you."

Alphys nearly fainted then, smiling crookedly. "You think... I'M awesome?" She chuckled nervously. "Wow..."

Alice crossed her arms, rolling her eyes playfully. "I hate to interrupt this rather lovely moment, but I still do need to find my way to the castle. I was told by someone to find a King Asgore."

"Oh, just leave that to me, darling! You're going to have to keep moving east through hotland... you may want to consider staying a night at my lavish and fabulous resort! When you do, please leave a review of how wonderful it is on my gab wall!" Mettaton beamed.

"Right..." Alice said flatly, Alphys shaking her head as she smirked knowingly. "Thank you for that, but um... is there anyone else who I may run into so I can brace myself for more accusations?"

"N- No, I think you should be okay from here... please do be careful in the core, though... it can be a little dangerous sometimes..." Alphys said.

"Noted. And one more thing... when I do see the king... what should I expect?" Alice asked.

"Oh, he's pretty friendly! I'm sure you two will be able to come up with some kind of solution!" Alphys chirped.

"I do hope that is the case... well, please recover soon Undyne, and I hope you all remain safe. Keep an eye out for any mischief snooping around." Alice said.

"I've got it covered! Cameras, remember?" Alphys replied.

"Tell me about it, you could have used all those materials to integrate a storage unit in my calves." Mettaton rolled his eyes.

"Mettaton, you can just use the purse I lent you!" Alphys whined.

"Puh-lease, THAT frumpy thing? So outdated honey! I could just reach into my boot all sexy like and pull out my MTT brand-"

"Can we talk about something else?!" Undyne snapped.

Alice chuckled to herself, rolling her eyes as she headed out of the lab. "I swear, it's a tea party all over again..." She said to herself as she exited the lab. As she went along her way, she noticed a stairway leading up. Deciding to follow it, she ascended them, tilting her head upon reaching the top. "Hm... 'MTT Resort...' resort indeed, my very last one." Alice said to herself, about to approach the double doors when she heard a low cough in the shadows to the left of the entrance. She halted, narrowing her eyes warily. "Who's there...?"

"Heh... you're supposed to wait for me to say 'knock knock' first." Sans said, emerging from the shadows with his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. "So... you made it here, huh?"

"It would seem so... I suspect Papyrus is nearby as well?" Alice asked.

"No. He's home. I told him to stay there, stay low pro, know what I mean?" Sans replies. "I want him to stay out of all this now." He then glanced up at Alice, nodding towards the doors. "Wanna grab some grub with me before you head on over to the core?"

"I suppose some nourishment would do me some good... very well." Alice replied.

"Thanks a bunch for treating me." Sans chuckled as Alice shot him a distainful expression. "Come on. Let's go this way, it's a shortcut."

"A shortcut to be pickpocketed and gutted like a stuffed pig?" Alice asked, sighing as she strolled behind him.

"Well unfortunately, you're going to have to 'resort' to following me, aren't you?" Sans chuckled, Alice huffing in response.

Once they were seated, Alice glanced around. "There isn't a soul here, how are we supposed to have anything to eat with no staff?"

"Well, I usually only eat the ketchup if I come here. Can't afford anything else anyway." Sans said.

"Do forgive me, but I happen to prefer a meal that consists of more than just a cheap condiment." Alice tapped her fingers on the table, raising a brow.

"Not one of those cheap dates, huh?" Sans chuckled. "Help yourself to the back, they probably have a few more of those 'glam burgers' that everyone raves about."

Alice huffed, throwing her napkin down as she stormed into the employee area. She grabbed some things, putting them on a plate as she sat back down at the table. "This is positively barbaric." She said, making a face when she took a bite of the burger, sighing lightly.

"So... you're gonna go see King Asgore, huh?" Sans asked.

"Yes... it would be best if I reached him before that little hell spawn does." Alice said, dabbing her mouth.

Sans sighed then. "Yeah... you know, I'm gonna be honest with you. I've done this song and dance before. I've done it so many times it's like a blur. But this time, something's changed."

"Let me guess, I am that something." Alice replied.

"No, you're the some ONE." Sans said. "I know that kid better than they think I do. Something has gone wrong. I think Alphys is on the verge of something, but... I don't want to be the one to stop her again. See, I've seen her go down this path before. But se started out going the right way. I thought maybe I would get to see the surface again before it all goes back to square one. Nothing seems to work. It's always the same story. We get to the surface, we have a happy ending, but that's just it. After that night, something always happens, and it literally ends. I wake up, I'm back here in the underground. It's like a never ending loop." Sans says. "Problem is, if I told my brother this... if I told anyone this, they'd think I'm crazy... because their memories are set back too."

"But yours is not." Alice said, and Sans gave her a nod. "I know that feeling. Saying something and knowing no one would believe you... seeing things no one else can."

"Look. I'll be Sans with you... because my name isn't Frank." He chuckled lightly, Alice shaking her head. "I don't know how you got here, and... maybe that matters, maybe it doesn't, I don't know. But I think I know WHY you're here. Let me spare you the gimmicks when I say this."

"Oh, please do!" Alice exclaimed.

"I know that you're not from around here." Sans said. "And when I say that, I don't just mean the underground. Even the kid knows what a cell phone is. You've never heard about that in your life. You're from the surface alright, but... from long before this time."

"You're smarter than you appear to be... whenever you decide to appear and disappear, that is. I have a rather furry friend like that and I can tell you it can be quite exhausting." Alice said.

Sans laughed. "I come and go as I please." He paused for a moment to squirt another packet of ketchup in his mouth. "Well, Alice... this has been a nice chat. I don't know too much about you, kiddo... but I know enough to say that I'm rootin' for you."

"I appreciate your sentiment." Alice said, dabbing her mouth as she rose from her seat.

"You've beaten your own demons, haven't you, Alice? Well... I'm hoping you can beat hers, too." Sans said as Alice turned to walk away. Alice's eyes widened for a moment, inhaling sharply as she whirled around, pausing when she saw he had vanished without a trace.

"Oh, you sneaky devil..." She breathed, her hands flat against her dress as she smoothed it out.

Alice decided to waste no time, foregoing a night of rest to continue on her journey to the palace. She exited MTT Resort through a door with a sign that read 'CORE' in giant letters, continuing until she reached a bridge. She inhaled deeply, crossing over. She stopped when she noticed a small fork, but saw that the path to the right had been blocked. Shrugging, she was about to go to the left when she heard a ringing sound, the normally unfazed young woman nearly jumping out of her skin. She dug in her dress pocket, withdrawing the cellphone to open it and answer it.

"H- Hey, Alice! It's me, Alphys! Have you reached the core?"

"Yes, I just entered now..." Alice replied.

"Okay, take the elevator up to the top most level." Alphys said. "Should be right in front of you."

"This is an elevator? Looks more like a solid steel cage..." Alice raised a brow. She approached, pressing a few buttons and blinking. "Either I am truly, absolutely, technologically inept, or this contraption seems to be faulty." Alice remarked after a few moments.

"Oh... guess it isn't working... here, try taking the path to the left." Alphys said.

Alice raised her brows, doing as she was instructed. Upon proceeding through the door, she stopped when she saw another glowing fragment of light, similar to the one she witnessed in Snowdin. She approached it, lightly touching it so that as it had before, a small slip of paper sparkled out of it. Alice opened it up, scanning the words.

"What does this one say... 'Sensing you are on the verge of a significant turning point in your journey... it fills you with determination.' A turning point...?" Alice said to herself as the paper dissolved in her hands. She heard something behind her then, the sound of water dripping to the floor. She slowly turned, gasping when suddenly, the child was standing inches behind her, smirking darkly as she remained drenched with water, her hair clinging to the sides of her face. Alice narrowed her eyes, wielding her hobby horse and rearing it back without sparing any chit chat. As she was about to swing, she saw the child move past her quickly out of the corner of her eyes, time seeming to slow down. She stopped mid swing to turn around, the child's back facing her.

"Did you really think that it was going to be this easy? That you would rampage your way through this world with your composed and stoic nature, maintaining your emotions even in combat? Why are you really here, Alice? For your own accord, or someone else's? But that is all you know how to do then, isn't it? You're always a pawn in someone else's game, and you are too caught up in your own self-centered atmosphere to realize it. In this world, it does not revolve around you, Alice." The child said.

"Let me guess... it revolves around you?" Alice asked.

"No. It revolves around the same pointless attempt of stopping the inevitable, over and over again. You were chosen to be the very piece in this game to destroy the opposition... but it is you who will fall, and all of their fruitless efforts to make their dream a reality." The child said, turning to hold up the dagger she was holding.

Blood.

Alice gasped lightly then, staggering as she held her side. Her sky blue dress was slowly being stained red, holding her hand up to see crimson on her fingertips. Distracted by the realization of her wound, she cried out in surprise when she felt someone push her, losing her balance as she felt herself teetering on the edge.

'You may have determination like I do, Alice... but the potency of mine far surpasses yours.' Alice heard the child's voice speak as she no longer felt the ground under her feet, the air hitting her back as the child's haunting face grew farther and farther away.

As Alice felt her life fading with her fall, she heard an odd sound that she could not distinguish. She felt a sudden impact before losing consciousness, as if something was embodying her. Whether this was in safety and protection or captivity and harm, she would have to find the answer upon coming to.

* * *

 **And yet another cliffhanger, readers! Does the child know more about Alice than she is letting on? How DOES she know what she does about her? For those of you wondering, though Frisk/Chara are gender neutral in the game, I am making them female in my fic as a personal choice. You can still continue to view Frisk/Chara as gender neutral if that is what you prefer. :) Anyhow, much more to come, so please keep an eye out for updates!**


	7. The Hands

**Good afternoon, readers! I have returned with a new and suspenseful chapter! Twists and turns await you! Are you prepared? If you are, please read and enjoy! Thank you all again for your support thus far!**

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After what seemed like an eternity of falling deeper into a dark abyss, Alice registered a feeling of being lifted up out of numbness. It was a raw feeling as she remained suspended in her subconscious, as if something was trying to put up a resistance, to drag her down deeper. The force was broken by a small spark of light, the very same one she had seen right before her descent. She willed herself to extend towards it, and the spark of light resonated once she made contact with it, hearing an odd sound calling to her. It was like a voice, but it was more like a compilation of garbled sounds. The light enveloped her, and she finally felt herself break through her subconscious like shattering glass, her eyes cracking opened as she finally came to.

"Bloody hell..." Alice groaned, slowly sitting up and rubbing her head. "I thought I had long passed this... leaving my tendency to wake up in some odd place in the past. I need something to swat it good with, I don't appreciate it coming back to bite me." She sighed, regaining her balance as she cautiously got to her feet. It was then that she felt she was aware enough to observe her surroundings- except, there was not all that much to observe. She found herself in a small room, completely white and devoid of color or objects. She furrowed a confused brow, not seeing any way out, or in, for that matter. "Where could this be, I wonder...?" She asked herself, not expecting an answer.

However, as she would find moments later, she received one.

'You are everywhere, and you are nowhere. You are in a space outside of space.'

Alice heard the voice speak in varying tones, both like a faraway echo and a close whisper. She whirled around, seeing nothing at first. She then felt a presence behind her, turning to see an ominous figure, their pale, slightly misshapen face draped in black. She was about to grab her vorpal blade, when a hand shot out to grab her wrist, not harming her but holding it firmly.

'Do not fear, I mean you no harm. I saw you fall, and I mean to guide you back to the place where you left last. However, before I do this, I feel it is urgent that I speak with you first. There are many things in this world that you do not yet know, and most of those things you need not know for now. However, you have made a very wicked enemy, and you will not be able to save yourself or any inhabitants of the underground without my assistance.'

Alice drew out a sigh, straightening up as the mysterious individual slowly released her hand. Alice let her hand hang, finally determining that this creature was not a threat, at least for now. She took a moment to look him over, noticing that both his hands had large holes where his palms would be. After a few moments of silence lapsed between them, she looked into his hollow eyes, like voids, one shaped like a crescent moon with a large crack running down through it vertically.

"Who are you?" She asked.

'I am not much of a "who," anymore... more like a "what" now. My name was W.D Gaster. I was once a renowned scientist to the royal family here in the underground... I assisted the community in a number of ways to keep it running smoothly... the core, which you have seen for yourself, was my creation. It was great, yes, but not the greatest.'

"Are you a phantom?" Alice asked.

'Not quite. I was once a monster citizen, like many you have already encountered. However, something terrible happened... and as a result, my form has changed entirely. In this space, you are seeing me in a tangible state, however, only a fraction of my being is present before you. I understand if this is confusing, so I must start from the beginning; in particular, the beginning of her story.'

"Her? Who do you mean-" Alice gasped then as she saw several floating hands formed a circle around her, spinning in maddening circles as the holes in the palms began to glow. She felt like she was floating, even though she clearly felt the ground underneath her feet, and it was in that moment she remembered something.

 _'Tra la la... beware the man who speaks in hands.'_

At this point, there was nothing Alice could do as the holes spun faster and faster, soon becoming a blur as she seemed to be transported somewhere. She found herself in a patch of golden flowers, jumping a bit when she heard Gaster's voice in her head.

'Monsters have been trapped in the Underground by the barrier since the days of old, when humans forced us down here. We have tried to break the barrier, but we would need the power of seven human souls, seven to represent each of the colored druid clans that cast the powerful spell. One day, the unexpected occurred.'

Alice noticed a small child fall into the patch of flowers, the little girl struggling to get up as she whimpered. Alice saw a small monster child run over to her, helping her to her feet.

"She looks somewhat like the child I encountered on my journey." Alice remarked.

'Yes... she is known by monsters by several names... the First Child, the Fallen Child... her presence gave all monsters hope for a better future... if only they had known her true nature.'

Alice saw flashes of memory, witnessing the child's interactions with the monster child, and what revealed to be the royal family. She saw the monster child absorb her soul upon her death, and how the child's malevolence came forth as she took control of the powerful being.

"So... it was she who truly began the war?" Alice asked.

'Yes... but this was only the beginning...' Gaster told her, and she was then flashed to his laboratory, holding a jar containing the soul of the first child. 'It was known that a monster could absorb human souls and become very powerful... the king instructed me to see if there was something we could do with the soul to bring back the fallen crown prince. I conducted a series of experiments, documenting them as I proceeded.' Alice furrowed a brow as she witnessed his deteriorated state in fast motion, soon being transported to the core. She realized she was standing in the same spot she had been when she encountered the child, whirling around when she heard someone calling his name. She watched as Gaster flung himself from the edge into one of the power cells of the machine, shattering into a million pieces and dissipating, piercing through time and space. She heard a despaired shriek, widening her eyes slightly when she saw someone familiar, the long, sustained cry for their father ringing through the air. In that moment, Gaster answered her question before she asked it.

'Yes... Sans... as well as Papyrus... are my sons. I mentioned earlier that the core was not my greatest creation... for nothing in this world could ever surpass them.'

Alice staggered a bit when they returned to the white room, the floating hands slowing down and disappearing as Gaster hobbled forward.

"So, my objective is simple then... destroy the child." Alice said.

'No. The child you encountered on your journey is not the child you saw in our memories. They do, however, share the same soul. If powerful enough, a human soul can be reborn into another human. The first child... her hatred had manifested great power. When I absorbed a portion of her soul, we were merged together. She had access to my mind as I did to hers. I knew that as long as she lingered, we were all doomed. For years, I searched for a part of her, even a small part, that still had goodness. It was then that I guided it into another small girl; thinking perhaps the hope the fallen child once inspired in monsters could be delivered this time. However, I miscalculated once again. The other fragments of her soul could influence that small, untainted part that had manifested into its own soul. It is for this reason that the child you encountered has turned to darkness. In addition to her, there is another who needs saving.'

As Gaster told her about Flowey, Alice narrowed her eyes a bit. "So Flowey... was resurrected from the remains of the crown prince?"

'Yes. But without a soul to sustain this essence reinvigorated by the determination extracted from the soul of the first child... her hatred, her thirst for power, has taken shape within the flower, unchecked. Though the first child is not influencing or controlling him directly... the darkness has embraced this small creature through its own bitterness.'

Alice nodded, exhaling. "I know what I must do. I have just one last question." She replied. "It was you who called me to this world... wasn't it?"

Gaster mustered a smile then. 'You are a clever girl, Alice. You see, I was scattered through time and space... I was drawn to you because of your abilities. I have seen some of the struggles you have overcome, and I know that you are our only chance to be saved. Though there are greater forces at work, those are not your concern now. Your only concern now is to subdue the first child and release her victims from her influence.'

"I understand. Thank you for your insight, Dr. Gaster." Alice paused then. "I... do not believe that your actions had evil intent."

'I appreciate that. I know it is difficult for you to trust someone with my sort of background." Gaster said, seeming to frown for a moment. "Alice... if it is not too much to ask... will you please tell Sans- if you happen to see him- that I am never too far away?'

"I shall." Alice smiled.

'Thank you. Now, I shall guide you back to where you need to be. Just remember that wherever you see the floating light, make contact with it, take its message to heart. If you turn and wait for but a moment, I will produce a door to let you out.' When Alice turned, waiting for the blank wall to change, Gaster smiled lightly, speaking a bit softer. 'I almost forgot one thing. Elizabeth asked me to tell you that she has never left your side; in the darkest of times, she wept with you, and in your triumphs, you have made her soul ring with pride.'

Alice trembled for a moment, slowly turning to look at him. As she did, Gaster gave her a nod, a dim glow appearing in his eyes before he faded into nothingness. Her lip trembled a bit, closing her eyes for a moment as she whispered her gratitude. Her eyes opened at the sound of something behind her, turning to see that a door had appeared, unlocking. Taking in a deep breath, she wiped the moisture from her eyes as she took a step forward, placing her hand on the knob. Refreshed, refocused and revitalized, she knew what she had to do as she braced for whatever awaited her on the other side of the door.

As she cracked open the door, she was met by a blinding light, overwhelming her vision for a few moments. Once it cleared, she blinked a bit as her vision readjusted, and she realized she was back in the core. Wasting no time, she proceeded forward, only hesitating when she heard a jingling sound. She dug into her pocket, realizing that her cell phone was ringing.

"Alice?! It's Alphys! Oh my goodness, how did you get back up there? You must have the ability to save yourself with the glowing lights! Listen, you've got to stop her! We're all just past the resort, she and Flowey have deactivated all the security lasers and puzzles, and they're making their way to-"

"- I can't believe that! And there I was, I heard Flowey say he loved my puzzles with my own skull! Wait, maybe he wouldn't deactivate them if I made them instead!"

"Papyrus, give me that!" Alphys could be heard shouting in the background.

"Pap, hand it over, I need to say something to the human. Hey, Alice! I'm feeling more like myself and I'm going to be the first one out of this bunch to get back to Asgore! But before then, you've got to stop your little friend there from killing him. If I find so much as one scratch on Asgore, I'm going to pummel her all the way into next week! Just you wait and- hey!"

"Honestly, her constant shouting makes my wires fizzle. Listen dear, you may as well just go and tell them to hold everything until I make my grand entrance... and I suppose stopping any murderous actions will do, I can't have any potential viewers dying on me! I- SANS! Give me that this instant or I'll-"

"Hey, kid. Before they all talk your ears off, just keep going up the elevators until you get to the top of the core and meet me inside the palace. Just keep moving and don't worry. I want to say something to you before you try to see Asgore."

"Goodness gracious, my head is spinning from all this chatter!" Alice exclaimed, until a thought came to her. "Hang on... if you're farther away than I am, how is it that I will be meeting you-"

"See you there, kid." Was all Sans said before she heard a click, Alice raising a brow and looking at the device quizzically. Shaking her head, she shoved it back into her pocket before proceeding to the next elevator.

When she finally reached the top of the core, she continued down a long, narrow corridor until she reached a pair of double doors. Upon closing them, she read a sign that was just a few feet in front of her. "'New Home.' Oh dear, does the unoriginality of names ever end?" Alice asked herself before moving forward. She ventured through a series of long corridors overlooking the rest of the capital, finally approaching another set of double doors which led into the palace itself. Looking upon the large, marble tiles, pillars, and stained glass windows, she had an uncomfortable feeling- she was thankful that at least the color scheme wasn't red, or else she would have thought she had just walked right into a nightmare. Trying to push aside the chilling deja vu, she made her way halfway across the final corridor until her footsteps slowed to a stop, the absence of their echo creating a thick silence.

"Well, it seems you weren't lying." Alice raised a brow.

Sans shrugged. "Not too fond with lying. There's really no good reason for it, most of the time." He replied. "So... you finally made it. I know that this has been a topsy turvy time for you, but you stuck to it."

"Indeed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to-"

"Hang on, I'm not finished." Sans said, holding up a hand as he kept his calm demeanor, Alice huffing.

"You know that child could be making a bloody pulp out of the king right now." Alice said.

"I told you not to worry about it. Nothing's going to happen to Asgore for now. It'll give us enough time to have this chat." Sans replied. "I know you were sent here to give us a helping hand, Alice. But it doesn't mean that's the kind of hand you'd deal out. I've shaken all kinds of hands in my lifetime. Some are delicate, some are rough, some are broken. Some are clean, and some are dirty. Bloody. So the question is, Alice, what kind of hand do you have? And that's what really matters to me right now." Sans said.

Alice would normally dismiss words like these as ridiculous notions, but she began to see the deeper meaning in them. "You're not going to let me through that door if your observations are negative, are you?" Alice asked. "You must have more potential than what you give off."

Sans chuckled lightly. "You really are pretty smart, Alice." Sans replied. "I guess I could have said the same for you, am I right? You know, when you're quiet enough, when you hide yourself good enough, people don't really see you, but you see them. And you know what? You know what that's like. I see that. You know what it's like to watch that one person you love more than anything die, over and over again, like a never ending nightmare, knowing you can't do a damn thing to stop it." He looked up. "You've got blood on your hands, Alice. And usually, I wouldn't be able to afford not caring about that. But you know what? Not all spilled blood is innocent, and not all killers are guilty. You taught me that, so I guess you can teach old bones new tricks."

"Ah... the point emerges." Alice smirked lightly, and Sans did the same.

"Yeah... always the best part of the joke. Buildup just makes you squirm." Sans shrugged once more. "Just know that I'm rootin' for you, kiddo. Everyone is. It's all you now." Sans said, shuffling one step to the side and motioning his head towards the door to the throne room.

"Thank you." Alice replied, continuing onward, and stopping just before the door. "One last thing, Sans."

"Hm?" Sans turned his head slightly.

"Your father is with you wherever you go. You don't need to look far, and you don't need to carry so much when you do." Alice said, Sans saying nothing as Alice entered the doors. As a stray tear ran down his cheekbone, he chuckled quietly.

"Thanks, kid."

Alice took in a deep breath, proceeding until she reached the throne room, the ground covered with golden flowers. Just beside her, she noticed another glowing light, extending her hand to touch it. When she did, another message was produced from it, taking a moment to read it.

"Let's see... 'knowing that the time of meeting destiny face to face has come... it fills you with determination.' A bold message indeed." Alice said as the paper dissipated from her hands, turning to move forward. She stopped short then, gasping when she saw the child just ahead, her back facing her as she pointed a knife towards who she presumed to be King Asgore.

"Now, now, there's no need to fight." He said to the child gently.

As the child gritted her teeth, rearing her hand back to attack, Alice burst into butterflies, dashing forward to rematerialize in between her and the king, blocking her attack. The child screamed angrily, Alice shoving her back. Before she could get back to her feet, she gasped as a series of spears rained down, forming a tight circle around the child as they embedded into the ground, trapping her.

"Asgore!" A voice cried before Undyne ran inside. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, Undyne! Yes, I am perfectly fine... this human saved me." He replied.

"Alice! I knew you could do it!" Undyne beamed, Alice wincing a bit as she playfully punched her shoulder a bit too hard.

"Undyne! We must stop them all from fighting- oh, you already did it! Hooray! Now, we can all read this ultimate BFF guide I rented from the library! Once we're all BFFs, we can work together to destroy the barrier! Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"Alright! Everyone, stop." Mettaton said as he sashayed into the room. "There is no need to fear, for I have finally arrived! Your most favorite and beloved celebrity is fine, and is here to provide you-"

"Oh will you shut UP already?!" Undyne groaned.

Just then, the sound of heavy panting was heard then, Alphys putting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "Everybody... hang on... just... give me a minute... or ten..."

"Don't pass out on us, Al." Sans said upon strolling in, patting her back a bit.

As everyone tried to get on the same page, Alice introducing herself to Asgore and the two becoming acquainted, everyone stopped when someone else entered through the doors.

"Hey, who's that?" Undyne asked, narrowing her eyes. "Hey, who are you?!" She shouted, grabbing her spear. Her expression softened when she felt a hand lower her arms, glancing up at Asgore as he stared straight ahead in shock. Silence filled the room for a moment, Papyrus being the one to break it.

"King Asgore, I had no idea you had a twin!" He piped, Sans snickering as his brother.

"Toriel..." Asgore breathed. "My beloved... I... you... you came back?"

"I'm not here for you." Toriel said, narrowing her eyes at him. "I am here... to help keep everyone safe."

"Wait a second." Mettaton held his hands up, pointing at Toriel. "Your jaws drop when SHE enters the room, but not me?"

"She's the queen of the Underground, you idiot, of course!" Undyne snapped, kneeling on one knee. "Your highness, I, Undyne, the captain of the guard, is here to serve you!"

"O- Oh, and I, the Great Papyrus, soon to be member of the royal guard, am here to serve you as well!" He beamed. "And Sans too!"

"Ah... well, it is nice to meet you both." Toriel smiled, before raising a brow. "Sans? Who the hell is Sans?"

"That would be me." Sans took a step forward.

Toriel tilted her head. "Funny... you sound familiar."

Sans shrugged. "Well, better call ShEARlock Holmes to solve this mystery." He winked.

Toriel blinked for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "Oh my- oh my goodness, you- you're the one who's always making those funny jokes!"

Sans chuckled as his brother groaned. "Oh no, not you too!" He exclaimed.

"Okay, I think I'm okay now! So being we're all here, we need to work together to figure out how to break the barrier!" Alphys piped up.

Before anyone could respond, they heard low chuckling. They all glanced at the child, her head bent. "You all actually think you've defeated me. How amusing. I tire of your games." She slowly glanced over at Alice. "You are going to watch everything you've worked for fall into ruin. I hope you realize that this is not Wonderland anymore... because this is not your playing board..." She grimaced darkly. "... it's mine."

Alice's jaw clenched. "How in the bloody hell do you know about-"

Before Alice could even finish her sentence, the child took her knife, spinning in a circle to slice all the spear handles. She then hopped over the stubs, throwing the knife so it sliced through the air, straight towards Toriel. Everything seemed to slow down; one moment, Toriel thought that this was the end for her... in the next, she felt herself being shoved to the side, the bed of flowers cushioning her fall as everyone gasped. The knife embedded in the opposite wall, the child's crimson eyes widening as her wicked grin grew. When they all realized what happened, Sans fell to his knees, his hands slowly going to his throat as he chuckled wheezily.

"Well... looks like the tables have turned..." Sans said as a drop of blood gathered at the corner of his teeth, rolling down his jaw. "This is different... but... I ain't complaining." He looked up slowly. "Sorry, Frisk... I know you're in there, kiddo. Don't miss me too much."

Alice felt a familiar pang in her heart when she, along with the others, witnessed Sans' skull roll off his neck, oddly still chuckling even when it hit the ground. In that moment, as Papyrus dashed over and wailed his brother's name, all sound became muffled, her vision darkened. She felt herself being dragged back to a familiar, but unwelcoming place, gasping when a familiar voice reached her ears, her vision clearing a bit as she saw a well known feline standing in front of her.

 _'You've suffered great pain, and you've caused some. You've endured deep grief and feelings of guilt, but you will be tested by a more wrenching anguish, Alice. There is worse to come. You and this Red Queen cannot both survive; you are two parts of the same–'_

As she re-watched her friend become decapitated, she screamed, falling to her knees. She gasped then, feeling herself being dragged into the Queen's throne room. As she was lifted up, she was face to face with her wickedness, sharp teeth bared as she spoke.

"You idiot..." She cackled as multiple voices spoke at once. "Do you think that a self-pitying, pathetic daydreamer like you can undo everything we've done?!" Her mouth opened wide then, a second head popping out to reveal Flowey's. "I'm going to save over your own death... so I can tear you apart over and over again!" He then opened his mouth wide, a third head appearing to reveal that of the First Child's.

"You misunderstand your place here, Alice Liddell. You are not the one in control."

As her whole face began to distort, everything seeming to shake and warp, her neck stretched as she threatened to destroy Alice. The young woman grunted, looking down to see that the tentacles had become green vines, hissing as she reached for her vorpal blade. She glanced back at the First Child's horrific face, her eyes burning.

"You will not use my past against me!" Alice shouted, slicing at the vines. "I have not allowed heartless sores of depravity to be rid of me in the past, and I shall surely not be intimidated by you now!" Alice shouted, swiping her arm through the air at the face, gasping as she felt the tight grip on her being loosened. When she hit the ground, she felt her daze being lifted as she shook her head, looking up. She was met with the sight of all her friends being held captive by vines, Flowey sprouting out of the ground. Alice tilted her head when she noticed that he wasn't displaying his typical arrogant attitude, instead, Frisk stepped forth, knife in hand.

"The time for my full awakening has come. With the destruction of this world, there will no longer be a need to recreate it. It will be the first of many to be left in complete darkness, devoid of life and light."

"Sans..." Papyrus whimpered, struggling as tears rolled down his cheekbones.

"So, Alice Liddell... have you anything to say before your imminent death?" Frisk asked.

"Hm... just one thing." Alice said after a moment, whisking her hand. "I have a bone to pick with you." When nothing happened, Frisk burst out laughing, Flowey chuckling nervously.

"You really are a fool. No matter, I- wait... what is..."

"Sans!" Papyrus beamed as a rose sprouted from the ground, its healing power restoring Sans. As he got to his feet, he smirked, chuckling lightly.

"Couldn't have said that better myself. I'd give you a helping hand, but I'm gonna need both of them." He smirked.

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 **For a second there, you probably thought that it was "skull and crossbones" for Sans! Will the two of them be able to subdue Frisk and Flowey? Will they be able to release Frisk from Chara's control? Stay tuned for the next update!**


	8. Of Alice and Omega

**Good afternoon, readers? Are you ready for another roller coaster ride? This chapter is going on a bit of a dip, and it's going to get quite dark. If you have prepared yourselves, then read onward! Thank you again to everyone for your support thus far!**

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The Child chuckled lowly as Sans and Alice stood side by side. "So, you were able to prolong the inevitable for your vertically challenged friend, Alice." She said. "How typically selfish of you."

"How in the bloody hell do you know about me?" Alice asked.

"Quite simple, actually. Years ago... when my soul was used in an experiment by a certain... royal scientist... he realized too late that by absorbing even a fraction of my soul, that I was slowly gaining control over his thoughts, his mentality, his actions. Before he could hurt the ones he loved..." The child said mockingly. "... he sacrificed his own life by casting himself into the core. He thought that by doing this, he would destroy any chance of me doing harm to monsters... but he was wrong. Even in his shattered, barely tangible state, I can still see everything he does, know everything he does, all I have to do is concentrate. It is... difficult. Being that this particular soul fragment is merely essence now, broken beyond repair, I must be decisive of when I should tap into Gaster's being. When I sensed a great concentration of power from him, I knew it was significant. It was then I sensed him calling to you, Alice. I learned all I could about you, studied your strengths and weaknesses, your triumphs and downfalls. Gaster saw hope in you, and so, I awaited your arrival in order to undo you."

"Who are you really?" Alice asked, still not liking that this child seemed to know so much about her.

"I have many names." She responded. "The first name is Chara. Right now, though, I am the dark force awakened within Frisk. It is not her soul itself that is dark, but the soul it was derived from. Frisk's soul was the small fragment of mine that had not been corrupted by sin. She was born from it after Gaster came to find it in the hopes of reversing my wickedness." She chuckled. "But he wasted his time. I control all fragments of my soul, and its essence, when required. It was only a matter of time before Frisk would succumb to me completely. She is merely a toy to me. Sometimes I would let her have her happy ending... only to take over and make her reset the timeline."

"You really are a sick freak, aren't you?" Sans spat.

"It's all I know. All I know is to fight for what I want." Chara replied.

"Oh, let me guess, power? I suppose that's not what every villainous individual craves." Alice crossed her arms.

"You're right about that, Alice... but unlike all the others, power is not my ultimate goal. It is simply the first thing I am striving for. See, many do not realize that it is simply a tool; this is why most simply strive for more of it. It is not power that quenches the thirst of ambition. It is what is done with that power that can ultimately bring one to absolution." Chara replied.

"And what do you plan on doing with all your power? Use it for revenge? Another cliché motive to commit evil." Alice stated.

"Yes... and no. What I plan to do will satisfy vengeance against those souls from my village in the days of old. They will see everything they tried to work for used against them. All the suffering they made me endure, all the pain will have been for nothing in regards to them. But that is merely a side effect of what I plan." Chara said. "I wish to recreate not just this world, but the whole universe, how I see fit."

A sigh was drawn from Alice's lips, closing her eyes deeply for a moment as Chara's crimson eyes bore into theirs; a telltale sign of her possession over Frisk. Alice reopened them, her expression surprisingly having softened.

"Chara... listen to me. I know the pain of having everything good and right stripped from you. The burns on my body could not amount to a fraction of the burn I felt in my heart... to watch everything, everyone you loved being burned alive right before your eyes... to know the betrayal of those behind it, the very reason for over a decade of pure suffering and torture... revenge is a bitter taste best to be rid of, and in the correct fashion. I have seen your past, Chara." Alice said.

"I know you have, Alice. He showed you... the time when my soul was still completely intact. But even then, my intentions stood firm." Chara said.

"I don't know the extent of your initial suffering... but I do know you found solace and sanctuary here... a family, an escape. Peace from the world you called reality. You and I have much in common, Chara. This place to you was like Wonderland is to me. Do not bring destruction and death upon those who cared for you, offered you aid. It is those responsible for your pain that deserve the harsh hand of justice." Alice replied.

Sans glanced over at Alice for a moment; he has a small fraction of hope that somehow, someway, Alice's words would get to Chara, to draw her out of her murderous rampage and open the door to clarity. If not for their own sakes, then for the sakes of all of the monsters, his friends...

... his brother.

Chara chuckled lightly. "Can't you see, Alice? I no longer care who has to die in order for me to recreate the universe. Death of the old ways is inevitable. I want to create a world without sin and perverse desires. Anyone who gets in the way of that, physically or emotionally, will perish by my hand."

"Maybe you can start by going to hell, you dirty brother killer." Sans growled.

"Ah, yes... you remember what transpired in the other timelines." Chara replied.

"You're damn right I do, you little demon spawn. You know, I know you've heard my spiel a million and one times... but if you think I'm going to allow you to decide whether we live or not, you've got another thing coming. You've got nerve to think after what you've done that you would be the one to create a world without sin. You've got so much guilt there is no measurable amount of time that you could have to pay for it. But you know what? You've got one weakness, Chara." Sans said.

"Oh?" Chara asked, giggling in a disturbingly amused fashion. "And what's that?"

"You may not feel anything. You may not have anything to lose and all to gain... but the position you're in, you've got nothing to fall on because you've burned all your bridges."

"Have I?" Chara asked, her eyes darting behind her, burning into Flowey's behind her. "Do it."

"Shouldn't I absorb all the souls first before we-"

"Are you questioning me? I want them to watch their last chance at salvation die. DO IT!" Chara shrieked.

"Y- Yeah... yeah, we're going to end this all together, Chara... just you and me!" Flowey said, though there was a lack of enthusiasm, not helping his statement to be all that convincing. Just then, vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around Frisk's body as she was lifted into the air. Flowey grew taller as well, the two of them feeding off of each other's spiritual energy. Their friends struggled, trying to break out of Flowey's hold but it was to no avail as they could do nothing but hope that Alice and Sans could hold their own. As they prepared themselves, Alice glanced over as two large, uniquely shaped skull heads appeared on either side of him. Not hesitating to wait for the opposition to attack, Sans' hands glowed blue to match the aura of his left eye, the large skulls on either side of him blasting energy at Flowey and Chara. Flowey's larger form ducked into the ground, leaving Frisk's body to snake along the ground, looking up at them upside down as she speedily moved towards them. Both Alice and Sans dodged her attack when she shot up, swinging her knife at them in retaliation.

"Sans! We must try to separate them!" Alice shouted.

"Easier said than done, but I'll see what I can do." Sans replied, waving his hand as he conjured up a powerful bone attack. As he did, Chara grabbed one of the vines enveloping her, tugging on it a bit. Flowey drew Papyrus forward, and the child smirked.

"Go on, Sans... aren't you going to fight?" She cackled.

Sans gritted his teeth, hesitating. While he was distracted, vines shot up out of the ground as Flowey attacked Alice, using her vorpal blade to slice at them and dodged them when they got too close.

"Frisk... come on kid, I know you wouldn't do this... you and Papyrus are best friends, remember? We're best friends. You've got to remember that!" Sans exclaimed.

"Frisk is not here anymore." Chara snapped, swinging her knife at Sans for him to dodge it.

"That's all you know how to do, isn't it? Just take lives from other people, to take their happiness and turn it into misery." Sans said.

"One only grows stronger through suffering, either by their own or through that of others." Chara spoke. As Sans waved his hand, his bones forming a barrier around Papyrus, he conjured another few gaster blasters to attack. "Flowey, guard me." Chara said as she smiled wickedly. When the blasters attacked, Flowey's head descended in front of Chara, his mouth opening wide as he virtually absorbed the attack. Sans' eye sockets widened as the girl chuckled, his eyes darting as he heard all his captive friends expressing pain. "See? You were not expecting this outcome... were you? We are two separate beings, but together we are powerful. Everything you deal unto us shall deplete their life. So... if you wish for us to be defeated, all of your loved ones must perish first.

Alice was about to attack when Sans stopped her. "You can't."

"Sans, we can't just let them cast us into oblivion-"

"I'm not going to be responsible for letting my brother die!" Sans gritted his teeth. "Not again."

Alice swore under her breath as Chara's eyes burned into hers. Alice narrowed her own. "She is the key... and she knows it. She is going to make sure everyone suffers before she does. If I can get to her... everyone else will be safe." She glanced at Sans. "How well can you manage on your own?"

Sans raised a brow bone. "What are you planning?"

"Chara is like a parasite in Frisk's body. She must be exhumed or all shall perish. It's time Frisk came out of dormancy." Alice said. She burst forward, hobby horse in hand. Flowey's head came down to shield Chara again, Alice rearing back before using it to collide right into Flowey's face. Alice knew she only had seconds to work with as he was reared back, exposing Chara as Alice descended to grasp her shoulders.

"You are a fool." Chara said to her, chuckling lowly as her hands grasped Alice's arms, vines snaking around them. "The closer you are to your enemy, the closer you are to death."

"I should say the same for you!" Alice shouted, both of their forms beginning to shake the space around them as they fought for dominance. As Alice clenched her teeth, she whimpered as she decided to take another path. When Sans saw a burst of light, followed by Alice falling unconscious, he sighed lightly.

"Damn... not making this very easy for me, are you, kiddo?" He said, bracing himself for what Chara and Flowey had in store for him.

* * *

Alice opened her eyes, groaning as she stood to her feet. After collecting herself, she noticed she was in a black void, nothing visible for what seemed like endless, blank space. She separated her feet from the invisible platform she had been standing on, floating for what seemed like an age. Just then, she heard a distant sound. She followed it, determining it was someone crying. She came across its source then, understanding the atmosphere the moment she saw her. She descended, hovering a few feet as she spoke one word.

"Frisk."

The child gasped, getting up to look at Alice. Her eyes were squinty, staring up at her as she wiped her face.

"How did you get here?" Frisk asked.

"It wasn't easy... but that doesn't matter now. You and your friends are in grave danger." Alice replied.

"I know... I know they are... the other girl... she told me she was going to hurt everyone. I don't want that! I want to help them be happy!" Frisk exclaimed.

"There is only one way to do that, Frisk. You must regain control of your body. You must extinguish Chara." Alice said.

"I... I can't! I tried, but... it's too hard! Her determination is stronger than mine... no matter how hard I fight her... if I try to beg, if I try to offer her mercy... nothing works." Frisk frowned.

Alice bent down. "I was once in your position. It was her and I in the void of her malignant palace... everything I loved hung in the balance... and right now, that is the case with you. All of your friends are depending on you."

"But... what can I do to beat Chara? How can I do it when she has more power than me?" Frisk asked.

"Draw strength from your loved ones. All your friends... let them motivate you to succeed. If not... you will be trapped in here, alone... forever. This was not a fate I chose to accept, and I will not accept this fate for you either." Alice replied.

Frisk nodded, playing with the hem of her sweater. "Okay. I'll try my best. I have to stay determined for everyone, no matter what she says." Alice gave her a nod, getting up to attempt to get back to the conscious world. As she was about to do so, Frisk spoke. "If you get back... can you tell everyone that I'm sorry?"

Alice glanced back at her. "I have a feeling that they already know." She replied, nodding once before she burst into butterflies. Frisk gasped in awe as she watched the cluster of them disappear from sight, a smile forming in her expression.

Seeing such a beautiful array bringing the promise of freedom... it filled her with determination.

* * *

When Alice opened her eyes, it took but a moment to regain herself before she felt the handle of her vorpal blade in her hand, slashing the vines coiled around her. She heard Flowey hiss as she fell to the ground, looking up to see Sans starting to take in deep breaths, having evaded many attacks and beginning to frustrate Chara. She got to her feet, speedily going around as she sliced up one vine after another, releasing everyone from their hold while they were both distracted by Sans. The moment she severed the last vine, Alice whipped her head around.

"Sans, now!" Alice shouted.

At this, he waved his hand, his eye glowing brightly as Chara felt a huge weight bring her down. Flowey gasped, and in the next moment, he was blinded by the light coming from the gaster blasters, reducing him to his typical size and depleting much of his energy. Chara lay about a foot from him, struggling to sit up as Alice approached them.

"That was a pretty good move, kiddo." Sans said to Alice from behind her.

"Indeed... but now, I've got a nasty little weed to deal with." Alice said, crouching down to look at Flowey as he looked at her warily. "Do you think that allying with Chara is what's best?" When he said nothing, Alice pursed her lips. "You've been quite rotten, haven't you? Do you truly believe in the ideologies you have expressed to me here, or are you truly afraid?"

"Don't try to be nice to me... it won't help anything!" Flowey snapped.

"Are you sure about that?" Alice asked.

"Look, what do you want?! You won already, I don't want to hear your little pity speech!" Flowey exclaimed.

"You are afraid, Flowey. You are drawn to bitterness and hatred because you cannot feel kindness and compassion." Alice continued.

"You think you're so smart, huh? Well, you'll feel real smart when we rear our ugly head and kill you and all your stupid friends!" Flowey shouted.

"'We?' No, there will be no 'we.' Chara is a heartless queen... and as soon as she no longer has a need for you, she will cast you aside, like all the others." Alice said.

"Shut up!" Flowey growled. "You think you're going to teach me some lesson from all this?!"

"In this state, no... because she has influence over you, even now, because she still needs you. But I will make sure you finally find a moment of clarity... Asriel." Alice said.

Everyone except for Sans gasped, Toriel and Asgore's hearts breaking. "No... it cannot be..." Toriel breathed.

Just then, Alice stood as monsters flooded in, all of them offering support and concern for their friends. Everyone stood with Alice and Sans as she now turned her attention to Chara. "You've lost." Alice said, addressing her. "Withdraw from Frisk and grant her freedom, and I will consider sparing you. Your spite against us won't be tolerated from now on."

As everyone looked on, hoping they would get a hopeful response, Sans cursed under his breath when the child began to chuckle lowly. Even more disturbing was as she stood, her chuckling escalated into chaotic laughter, her crimson eyes burning as she opened her mouth wide. "Do you think... I can't... destroy you? You all equate to nothing, because to me, you are nothing. My understanding of my own perception is so strong that nothing can change it." Chara spoke, pointing at Alice. "Your necklace is the sign of the omega. The end of all things. You believe that you are the omega here, don't you? That you ending me will save this world. No, Alice... it will be your end that seals this world's fate. After this, there will be nothing. No trace, no memory, nothing to grieve and no one to grieve for it. It will be the end of this recurring dream, to wake up into the next to conquer. I will be the one to look out upon the void and reap my just reward. I am the omega, Alice, and I am also the alpha." Chara looked over at Flowey, who stiffened when her eyes burned into his. "... harvest them."

Flowey looked from her to the others, chuckling nervously. "Chara... you know... maybe we can get our revenge some other way... we can go to the surface and show them what humanity is really like... I'm tired of all of this, Chara... let's just free all these idiots and leave them to their own horrible endings... they're not even worth our time, right?" As Chara's expression continued to become more sinister, Flowey gulped. "They can still have everything they worked for be turned against them, along with the human souls from the first age..."

"Oh?" Chara finally spoke. "And what then?"

"Then... ? Well... I was thinking of some ways we could use the power we have... but then I realized... what does it matter? Remember when we first made this plan? To make those who hurt you suffer for their actions. But Chara... not having you as a friend... they already have, huh? That's all I... really care about now. Just you and me on the surface... no one telling us what to do, how to live... take control of our own destiny. Seeing you here... I've changed my mind. Just being with you... doesn't seem so bad." Flowey said.

"Hm... I wonder... why are you telling me all this? Why are you changing how I have chosen to carry out our actions?" Chara asked.

"Because no one understands me better than you do... you don't treat me with pity... but like a partner." Flowey replied. "See, creatures like us wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who got in our way... so that's..." Everyone had been watching the conversation progress; Toriel and Asgore were horrified by the words being spoken, shocked into silence. Flowey hesitated, his expression falling as pure dread worked it's way into his features. He seemed to have realized something, slowly looking up at Chara's ominous appearance. "So that's why..." He began to tremble then, a sudden, unwelcoming emotion coming over him. "... what is this feeling...? Why am I... shaking?"

"You tremble because you have learned something. Any other time, you would not hesitate to challenge your opposition because I was your indirect protection. I have always been that, Asriel... just as I tried to be that day we went to the surface together." Her pupils shrunk then. "But you resisted... just as you are right now. It resulted in both of our downfalls."

"H- Hey, Chara... no hard feelings about back then... right? Look... maybe this isn't a good idea... you should go back, and... leave this place the way it is... I'm not... saying this to resist you... I just... I don't want to lose you again... h- hey, stop making that creepy face...! This isn't funny!" Flowey cried.

"Fine... then allow me to express how serious I am to you." Chara said, bending down to barely press the tip of her knife against Flowey's face. "You are not the one in control here. You called to me, and I came. Now, you will either bend to my will... or this partnership is over. Now... harvest them."

"How dare you treat my son this way-!" Toriel finally snapped, striding briskly towards Chara. As the child readied herself, Flowey shut his eyes tightly, a vine sprouting out of the ground to wrap around her leg. As Chara lunged in for the kill, Asgore blocked the way with his trident, shoving her back. For a moment, he looked back at her, and they exchanged the smallest of smiles.

That was until Flowey absorbed Toriel's soul.

"No, Toriel!" Asgore cried before he too was pinned by Flowey, his soul being absorbed. All the other monsters began to chatter in a panic, moving in to defend each other. However, one by one, they were stopped by the vines and held captive, their souls adding to Flowey's power.

"I'm sorry... but the feeling of having a soul again... I don't want this feeling to stop!" Flowey exclaimed.

Sans looked to Papyrus, who was about to join Undyne in the fight. "Papyrus!" He stopped him. "Bro, just get out of here, go home and stay hidden."

"But I have to help my friends, Sans!" Papyrus cried.

"No, Alphys! LET HER GO- Ah!" Undyne hissed as she felt vines wrapping around her waist, struggling to break free from them. Alice jumped in, slicing the vine and freeing Undyne, trying to put a stop to this. As she did, she whirled around when she sensed a threat behind her. Chara smirked darkly as chaos ensued around them.

"Did you honestly think that you could inspire Frisk to usurp me? It is time to accept your fate."

Alice cried out when she felt herself being flung across the throne room, colliding into the wall as she fell. In the meantime, Sans charged forward, clenching his jaw as he tried to fight off the vines and convince his brother to leave. As Alice barely maintained consciousness, her hearing was muffled as she heard Sans crying out his brother's name, barely able to see the flash of his gaster blasters before he too was swept up by Flowey. She glanced down, beginning to see her own blood dripping onto the white fabric of her dress. She began to feel something boiling up inside as Flowey grew to a tremendous size, his being extending out into opposable limbs and thicker vines. Chara glanced over as Alice struggled to get to her feet before looking up at Flowey.

"Now you will harvest my soul." Chara said to him.

Flowey furrowed his brows, chuckling nervously. "Okay... we're gonna... we're gonna get it right this time, Chara..."

Alice regained her balance just as Flowey absorbed Frisk and Chara's soul, her face contorting into a scowl. As Frisk's body fell limp, she approached Flowey as he began to transform again. Multicolored wings sprouted from the back, the flower head changing. It resembled what Alice remembered to be Asriel somewhat, framed by the tubes resembling those of Alphys' machine framing his face. When he opened his eyes, Alice was met with blood crimson orbs.

"You think that forcing everyone into submission is going to earn you victory?!" Alice shouted.

"As others have said, you have an impressive degree of insight, Alice." Chara and Flowey's voice spoke in unison. "Though we have joint control over this form, it is I who will ultimately lead our direction. However, Asriel has submitted to me because it is true what he said... we have a deep understanding of our own suffering."

"Suffering that he would have never had if you hadn't caused it!" Alice spat.

"You are not one to criticize. Do you not remember all the innocent youth you allowed to be corrupted by sin? Do you not remember how you stood there, your sharp tongue reduced to silence, because you refused to accept the truth? For too long you have spent your life living in a dream. We are the dream to end all dreams, for my will to finally be brought to reality." Chara said.

Alice still felt something boiling inside, threatening to overflow. Tears of blood began to run down her cheeks, dripping on her dress and arms. The drops expanded as she chuckled lowly, her hair beginning to levitate. "Sans is a very smart creature as well... unsuspecting of him at first... but he was right. I do have much blood on my hands... and in a short time from now..." She glanced up as her face and dress began to turn completely white. "... yours will be an addition."

* * *

 **Well, I'm sure many of you are scratching your heads; I decided to combine two of the bosses seen in the game; Omega Flowey and Asriel, and make a hybrid concept for this story. I hope you all enjoyed, and please keep an eye out for the next chapter where we will see who proves victor!**


	9. The Final

**Good morning, readers! I apologize for taking so long to update this story. I had a couple personal projects to finish as well as a busy work schedule, but I have committed myself to completing this story and I have not forgotten you! Thank you all so much for your patience and support. This chapter is a bit longer than the other ones, but it is not the last chapter! I hope you are prepared for action, because there is plenty of it in this chapter. It's been a while, so get extra comfy as you relax and enjoy the latest update!**

* * *

Alice slowly bent down to check Frisk's vitals, hissing lightly. "Frisk is not there, but with us. What little of her there is left, anyway." Chara said as Alice glared up at her. "Now, all seven souls are in our possession, as well as every monster soul in the underground."

"So why don't you just break the barrier and leave, then?" Alice growled.

"That is an excellent question. Now that we have reached divinity, we have the power to bring all of humanity to their knees. However, I would like to relish in the pleasure of destroying you, first." Chara replied, Asriel's face laughing.

"Really? Or is it because you want to eliminate any loose ends?" Alice curled her lip.

"You still think you can change the outcome? My power is greater than yours, Alice... all of your friends have been taken unto me, you are completely and utterly alone!" Chara exclaimed.

"So, this should be quite easy for you, shouldn't it?" Alice said, her blade materializing into her hand. "Enough chatter. We begin this now." She said, her eyes becoming completely devoid of color as they changed to a deep crimson. Her skin and dress paled, her feet separating from the ground as she began to float.

Asriel's face raised a brow for a moment as they chuckled. "So be it."

Without a moment of hesitation, flames burst out, fanning through the air at Alice. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she bent back, the flames going over her as she ducked. As giant stars and pellets rained from the sky, Alice burst into butterflies, dodging the assault. As she did so, thorny vines shot out to pursue her, and she sliced them in quick succession as she rematerialized. Fireballs were then shot her way, Alice taking out her umbrella to ricochet them back at the monstrosity. Chara screamed in dual voices, thunder rumbling from above as lightning cracked. Alice moved quickly to dodge them, but she hissed as she was grazed by a bolt, rematerializing as she held her shoulder. She glanced up, noticing one of the tubes connected to the back of Asriel's head beginning to glow. Alice saw a hole materializing in midair, matching the color of the tube. She dove into it, watching as she was suddenly met with a huge gun pointing at her. She gasped, soaring through the air around the bullets that suddenly fired from it. In the distance, her keen eyesight caught something small glowing from within the darkness; a single fragment of light, just as she had seen before. She dashed towards it, grasping it into her hands. The bullets then turned to four leaf clovers, and something began to materialize before her.

"Toriel... is this her soul?" Alice asked herself, floating towards her. She saw a keyhole padlock on chains appear around her, and glowing essence around her face. Alice felt a small jingling on her side, reaching into her pocket and taking out her key ring. She saw a new key materialize, a yellow one. When she inserted it into the padlock, unlocking it, the chains disappeared and Toriel's soul was freed. Alice felt herself being pulled back then, glancing back as she saw that she was gravitating towards and back out the hole. She saw a burst of white light, and when she noticed something to her right, she realized she was no longer alone. "Caterpillar!"

"Indeed; remember Alice, each time you save another, you are saving a part of yourself by doing so!" He replied.

"If only I had known that much earlier!" Alice said, the two of them dodging more vines being shot at them.

"I shall assist you in your quest, but until justice is served for all, none shall be satisfied!" Caterpillar said, shielding Alice as he flapped his wings. The wind gusts blew Chara's flames back at her, giving Alice opportunity to notice that a second tube was glowing. As the hole reappeared, she flew into it, understanding Caterpillar's riddle and what she had to do.

When she entered, this time, she found herself in a frying pan, the surface she stood on starting to simmer. She flew out of it as flames began to rise, the pan flipping and tossing fireballs towards her. "Out of the pan and into the fire!" She cried, having to burst into butterflies to avoid being burned. She caught something out of the corner of her eye again, seeing the light fragment. Once she grasped it, the flames turned to scrambled eggs, and she found the next soul that needed freeing. Through the clouded fog around her head, Alice saw it was Undyne this time. She pulled out her key ring, seeing a green key and used it to free her. Upon doing so, she felt the pull again, smirking when she saw a second comrade had joined the fight. The loud neighing of a horse rang through the air as the White Knight galloped through the black void, hurling spears towards Chara/Asriel. Thinking she got the hang of this, she smiled when she saw a third tube beginning to glow, calling for the hole to appear again. Entering it, she fell down onto a book, quickly getting to her feet as words with negative connotations began to fly at her from all directions. "There's an old saying-..." Alice then took out her blade, slicing through the words until she saw the light fragment, soaring towards it. Once she touched it, more words began to soar in all directions, turning to see another soul appear. Noticing it was Alphys this time, she took out a new key, purple in color. "Poor thing is weighed down by all of this negativity. Let's cut the ball and chain, shall we?" She said, freeing her and making her way back.

After seeing the white Rabbit had joined the fight, she made her way back to the void. After did gingerly giant ballet shoes trying to crush her, she found the light, using a dark blue key to free Papyrus' soul. Alice sighed with relief, seeing the Mad Hatter defending his comrades with his contraptions and his army of tea kettles clanked forth, screeching on their hind tripod legs as they spewed steaming hot water at emerging Venus flytraps. Seeing that there were three more souls left to free, she knew she couldn't waste time as Chara became more desperate to use Flowey's abilities to put an end to this. She flew into the void once again, and was met with the sight of large hands soaring at her. Feeling an uncomfortable sense of deja vu, she soared towards the light fragment, digging into her pocket to find a new orange key. She unlocked the chains, freeing Asgore's soul. This was beginning to grow tiring and repetitive, Alice thought to herself; but she knew it had to be done. When she returned, she saw the Gryphon had joined the others, and as she was about to go back into the void with the glow of the final tube, Chara's multi-toned scream rang through the space.

"No! You will resist me no longer!" She shouted, her face and Asriel's morphing, as if they battled for dominance, the constant metamorphosis horrifying as she opened her mouth gaping wide, her eyes empty as her distorted laughter rang.

Alice gasped as her path was suddenly blocked by several cactus-like snakes, their giant mouths opening and closing in a chomping motion as they darted about. She clenched her jaw, crying out as she soared towards them. She sliced through one, two, three in quick succession. As she was closing in on the fourth, she miscalculated. The fifth collided into her, broadsiding her as she winced from the impact. As she spiraled downward, she found herself having difficulty regaining her composure. Was this it? Was this the end? She saw a Venus flytraps sprout beneath her, opening wide to seal her fate once she fell into its clutches. As she came closer, she suddenly heard a voice in her mind.

'Human, I believe in you! You can still do this, you just have to try!'

Alice's expression became serious then, pinning her arms to the sides. She glanced to the left, smirking lightly as the Gryphon swooped in, halting her fall and taking her back up. She hung on as her winged companion emitted a cry, capturing the tail end of the cactus snake in its beak, whipping his head to send it cascading down into the clutches of the flytrap.

"Go Alice, you must finish this!" He cried, Alice hopping off to soar towards the void.

"I owe you much thanks for that!" She replied before passing the barrier. To her surprise, her eyes widened when she was suddenly met with a stream of giant knives spinning through the air right at her. She bit her lip before bursting into butterflies, trying to dash her way towards the light fragment. When she felt the sting of one of the large knives, barely able to dodge it, she rematerialized as she hissed, holding her shoulder. In her hesitation, she cried as she saw another knife coming right at her. Attempting to dodge it, she moved too slowly, screaming as it left a deep slice along her front. The large cut was left from the top of her right shoulder to her left hip bone, and she trembled as she finally saw something flickering. Biting her tongue in an attempt to ignore the pain, she fought her way towards it, clutching it in her hand. She cracked an eye open, seeing the soul of Sans in chains. She slowly made her way towards him, fumbling for the key in her pocket. When she pulled out her key ring however, no new keys were there.

"Give it up, kid. I did."

Alice glanced up, looking at the clouded aura surrounding Sans' head. She inhaled sharply, the sting of the gash in her skin suckling the breath out of her lungs as she managed to speak. "I could have done that. The night my family roasted in my home that burned to the ground... as I laid in the snow in seeing pain... in the infirmary... the ten years I spent in the asylum treated no better than a slab of meat... even after that, when I was psychologically manipulated by my family's murderer. But I did not, Sans. Because through all of it... through losing my sister, who was as precious to me as Papyrus is to you... I remembered that as long as my heart beats, I have a reason to be here. Someone to help, some evil to thwart. We were not given this power to allow it to waste away. Now stop moping and give me this damn key before I play your spine like a xylophone!

After several moments, she felt a jingle, looking down to see a light blue key had appeared. She shakily took it, undoing the lock to free Sans' soul.

"Huh... you're pretty hot headed when you're angry... maybe you should take a chill pill." Sans winked before disappearing.

Alice rolled her eyes, turning around to see a familiar face. She groaned then, her hand touching her chest before looking at it. Blood dripped from her fingers as she exhaled shakily. "It's a comfort to see you, cat."

"Blood leaving the body is like sand leaving the top of an hour glass... there is only a limited supply and once it runs out, you're out of luck." Cheshire said with his signature grin.

"Indeed... perhaps you could spare one of your many lives?" Alice asked.

"I don't think so... however, I think you should start by patching that up... those may do the trick." Cheshire replied, motioning behind him. The knives had turned into giant, glowing green band-aids, slowly gravitating towards her. Alice blinked, extending her hand to grasp them. Their green glow enveloped her body upon contact, and she looked down as the large gash healed slowly. Feeling stronger, she posture herself more upright, turning to Cheshire and nodding. "Have you sharpened your nails, cat? You will need them."

"You know I am always prepared to hunt some vermin." He purred sinisterly.

"I do hope so, because we've got some big rats to catch." Alice said, the two of them making their way back through the barrier. Chara was putting up a good fight, her eyes narrowing as Hatter used his arm to deflect missiles falling upon them. "There is one last thing I must do. I only wish my ability to persuade others matched yours, cat."

"I suppose if you're no less than half as proficient you only have to meet them halfway. Hopefully it's a scenic venture." He replied.

"I highly doubt it, this monstrosity will continue to be relentless unless I can convince a certain someone to overpower her predecessor. If not, not only is our destruction certain, but so is that of what world's she goes on to claim." Alice replied.

"This should instigate no intimidation; you've seen its face before, and it is no uglier now than then. If you haven't built up the stomach to its horror than that ship has long sailed." Cheshire replied.

"Unfortunately, it is not by my will that shall determine whether or not we reach our destination... Frisk is the one at the helm and she will be the first to sink along with this ship if she doesn't act now." Alice said, looking up as the void appeared once again. "I have a feeling that I either come out of there successful or not at all." She said, soaring up and through the barrier one final time.

Once she reached the other side, Alice found that she could feel a solid, invisible surface underneath her feet. She walked forward, hearing the sound of someone struggling. When she approached, she saw that it was Frisk, bound by red, glowing orbs of energy. She looked up at the sound of footsteps, becoming alert once she saw Alice. She bit her lip, grunting as she tried to free herself once again, to no avail.

"Alice... I keep trying to fight her..." Frisk grunted, her brows furrowing. "Why isn't it working?"

"Because you still believe you are alone in this, Frisk." Alice replied. "In order to restore hope to others, you must have your own restored. The hope that my companions gave me saved me from eternal damnation. I am going to do the same thing for you."

"My friends counted on me... but... I watched her take all their souls." Frisk shut her eyes tightly, tears threatening to spill over.

"They are not gone. They are right here beside you." Alice replied.

Frisk glanced around, seeing the souls of her friends surrounding her. She gasped, her face lighting up as they smiled at her, speaking words of encouragement. As she felt the determination in her heart being reinvigorated, she bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut as the orbs began to crack.

"I can do this... I can beat Chara and save everyone!" She cried out.

On the battlefront, the white knight cried out. "We cannot maintain our ranks for much longer! The will of this beast is strong!"

"Luckily we have some help!" Alice shouted then, she and Frisk joining the fight. Flower guns pointed at them, and Alice noticed that finally, Chara's defenses dropped as the six human souls gravitated away from the monstrosity. "Give her everything you've got, now!" She screamed.

As they fought, Chara's screams echoed, sending an assault of stars at them. As they began to get the upper hand, Chara's screaming became more distorted, tapping into Flowey's powers to sprout Venus flytraps, hurl missiles at them, send waves of flames, everything she could possibly muster. No matter what she did, Alice, Frisk and her friends carried on. Finally, when there was nothing left, Alice smirked, nodding to her comrades as they began to fade, presumably back to wonderland. As Chara cried out, she thought they had served their purpose in this jrourney, waiting now for her victory to conclude.

"No... no... this cannot be happening!" Chara and Flowey's voices screamed in unison. "Save me, Flowey!" At this, something began to glow within the forehead of the distorted face.

A light fragment.

"This... cannot be...!" Alice exclaimed, Chara smirking as she regained her strength.

"I already told you, Alice... you cannot defeat me. Now, I will start by eliminating the part of my own self that refuses to conform." She said.

Alice gasped as a huge beam of energy shot right at Frisk, shaking her head. When the attack ceased, Frisk whimpered as she reappeared. Chara did this repeatedly, Frisk clenching her jaw as she was subjected to pain and resurrection again and again, Alice trying to stop it, but she was surrounded by the same quote on quote pellets she encountered at the beginning of this journey.

"You are a sick, twisted cur, you know that?!" Alice screamed.

"But Alice... I had to punish her for being so uncooperative to me." Chara said as they were both trapped. "It's hopeless. Go on, call for your worthless friends. Call into the darkness only to receive nothingness as a reply. Yes... nobody else is going to see you die!" She shouted, laughing chaotically as the pellets closed in on them. Alice stood firm, glaring as she held her blade tightly.

She was not expecting them to disappear a moment later.

"What...? No matter, I will simply just... no... why isn't it working?! Something is wrong! Asriel!" Chara screamed as the six human souls appeared, Frisk smiling. "No, you are supposed to obey me! I am the highest of the order!"

Asriel's form began to emerge as the souls began to subdue Chara, swooping down as she still influenced the determination within him. Alice and Frisk braced themselves as lightning rained down from the skies, Alice gritting her teeth as he came down upon her with his saber. As Frisk watched Alice block the attack, the two ascending, she lowered herself to her knees.

"You can do this, Alice." She whispered, hoping for the best and dreaming of a happy future for her and her friends.

Alice's blade clashed with Asriel's saber, the two darting and diving in the air as they fought fiercely.

"Asriel, you must listen to me!" Alice shouted. "This is not who you are! You must see past the fog Chara has placed around you!"

"You think I'm going to give up the one reason I have for existing?! She is all I live for! She is all I have!" Asriel shouted. "We are going to remake this world together how we see fit!"

He conjured a blaster then, shooting beams of energy at Alice. She used her umbrella to ricochet the beams, taking out her peppercorn gun to try and injure him nonfatally. No, she was not seeking to end his life. She had seen the memories Gaster showed her, and she was not going to make his life more unfortunate than it had to be.

"That isn't true, Asriel!" Alice cried. "Think about your mother, your father, all of the friends you had here! Do they not deserve your mercy?"

Asriel furrowed his brows then, memories of his and Chara's first encounter flashing through his mind. "N- No... this... feeling... this vulnerability... what are you doing to me?"

"I am helping you to remember who you are, Asriel. You do not need Chara, she does not truly care about you." Alice replied.

"No, I don't need anyone but her!" Asriel shouted, sending beams of energy at Alice, making her have to dodge them. "She is the only one who DOES care!"

"Would someone who cared manipulate you, use you for their own devious plans?" Alice asked.

"She was the one who was always there for me... we were always there for each other!" Asriel shouted. "She... she... is my best friend..."

Alice slowly approached Asriel. "I had someone like that too. She was... somewhat of a mentor. But... she twisted my perspective on things for her own benefit. She was ready to destroy me if necessary... and she almost did. Do not make the same mistake I made, Asriel. Break away from her grip on you."

"No... I... I don't want to be alone... I'm not ready to say goodbye to her... I'm not going to lose my friend again! Just stop and let me win!" Asriel screamed, thrusting his hands out as Alice gasped, whipping out her umbrella to shield herself. "Stop it! STOP IT AND LET ME WIN!" HE screamed, his attack slowly waking as he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "I'm scared..." He said tearfully. The giant plant monstrosity had disappeared, Chara's aura floating silently some ways behind him. Asriel reverted back to his child-like self, and Alice dismissed her weapons, kneeling down before the sobbing child. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." He whimpered, Alice smiling lightly.

"It's alright now, Asriel. You must make the right choice." Alice said, standing to her feet and taking a step back as Asriel looked to his left and right. On his left, Chara floated a few inches off the ground, fists clenched. On his right, Frisk placed her knife down, smiling gently. Asriel looked at Chara, approaching her. "Chara... I... I know why you want to do this... but... I don't want to hurt people anymore. I just want us to be happy together, like we used to. We can still do that... we can live a life of paradise like you want. Our own little paradise." Asriel smiled.

Chara glanced to the side as Asriel held her hands. "No. Paradise can never be achieved while the old world still exists. It's corruption will continue to fester, and we will only continue to suffer." She said.

"But... we can go somewhere on our own... somewhere no one can find us." Asriel replied.

"Corruption will always find us so long as it lingers." Chara replied, her expression softening a bit. "Remember what I said in the beginning of all this? If this plan fails, we will all fall to ruin. We will never experience paradise, we will only know pain."

"But Chara... I'm tired of being like this... I don't want to kill anymore." Asriel said.

"I know." Chara said, looking up at him. "I said before that suffering makes me stronger, as well as the suffering of others. But your suffering, Asriel... your suffering has disproven that. So long as you suffer, I will become weaker." She looked into his eyes then. "I'm sorry, my dear Asriel. I had envisioned a world with you in it. However, I must do what is best for both of us, and my intentions." She bent down, picking up the knife laying beside her. "I must leave you behind."

Asriel's pupils shrunk as he trembled with fear. "N- No... Chara, I-... please, I can still help you, I can still make your dream come true..." He whimpered.

"It's hard to look you in the eyes... I see your innocence inside of them... and my own maliciousness reflected back in them. I love you, Asriel... your death will give me the strength to finish this for both of us." Chara said, lifting the knife up as Asriel cowered, closing his eyes tight.

"Please... don't kill me...!" He cried.

Before Alice could intervene, Chara cried, bringing the blade down as she too shut her eyes tightly. When she felt someone grab her wrist, however, her eyes snapped open, her pupils shrinking as she saw Frisk had come between her and Asriel.

"I'm not going to let you hurt my friends anymore, Chara." Frisk said.

Chara screamed, shooting out to grasp Frisk's other hand. "You think you have the power to fight against my control?! You think you can stop me from drawing your soul fragment back to mine?! You were created from ME!" She shrieked.

"I do!" Frisk replied. "Everyone has a choice, and I'm going to choose the right thing this time! I'm not going to listen to you or let you trick me anymore!"

As Asriel whimpered fearfully, Alice held his shoulder when he tried to run to them. "No. Frisk must do this on her own."

Frisk and Chara struggled against each other, Frisk ripping the knife away from Chara and throwing it aside so the blade stuck out of the ground. Further enraged, Chara shoved Frisk forward, her hands diving to her throat as she attempted to strangle her. "Do you feel that, Frisk? The feeling of not being able to breathe? I know it all too well... and if you think that you will prevent me from reaching absolution after all the suffering I have endured, then you will remain a silly dreamer even in death!" She screamed.

Frisk shut her eyes tightly, whimpering as Chara threatened to crush her air pipe. In that moment, she remembered all the people who were depending on her, everyone who needed her. In that moment, Frisk realized... she needed them, too. Having made this realization, it filled her with more determination than ever. In one burst of energy, she clenched her teeth, thrusting her hands out to shove Chara off of her. She was flung back, letting out a choked gasp when she fell onto her back. Asriel hurried over, kneeling down by Frisk as they both looked over at Chara. Asriel's eyes widened then, seeing blood dripping down from behind her. His heart sunk, realizing that she had fallen onto the blade that had been sticking out of the ground. "Chara..." Asriel cried.

"... don't cry, Asriel. As long as a part of me still exists... I will never truly be gone. I will create our paradise... the end of the old days will come, eventually..." She fell to her knees. "Then... everything I worked for will not be in vain..." She said, her aura beginning to dull as she disappeared, fading away with the wind.

Alice shut her eyes for several moments, exhaling slowly. The threat was averted, and her efforts had won the day.

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 **Well... that was certainly a lot to take in, readers! I tried my best to combine the photoshop Flowey and the final Asriel battle in a cohesive and sensible way, keeping true to the game as well as my plot. I genuinely believe that Chara has indirect control over Flowey, which explains his inability to feel positive feelings such as love and happiness, but instead feels bitterness, resentment, and hatred. I feel the relationship between Chara and Asriel/Flowey is certainly a complicated one; though I believe Chara genuinely loved Asriel like a brother at one time, that love has become twisted with the evolution of her downward spiral of morality. Again, thank you to everyone for your support, and stay tuned for the next update!**


	10. Of Friendship and Forgiveness

**Good afternoon, readers! This will be the last chapter of this story, and I apologize again for the delayed update. I got a couple personal projects done, so I am ready to wrap up this story and move onto the next project I have been working on. Thank you to everyone for your patience and support, so please enjoy the conclusion of Redemption of Underland!**

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Asriel knelt where Chara had been, carefully taking a small, heart shaped locket into his hands as he cried. "I remember when I gave her this..." He sniffled. "It was one of the few times she smiled, really smiled. That's why she always smiles now..." He slowly stood up as Frisk took a step closer. "I did some really terrible things as a flower, didn't I? I just... I wanted so badly to... for us to be happy. Like we used to be. I think deep down, she wants that too. She just... we tried to do it the wrong way. We tried to find our happiness... by taking someone else's." He turned to face Frisk then. "She showed me how she made you do things... bad things... over and over again. And the times that you resisted... she concentrated all of her power to make you go back to the beginning, to punish you. See... she is afraid that if she accepts kindness... she will lose everything and feel pain. That's why she wanted monsters to die. She wants to destroy everything completely and start over."

Alice took a step forward. "That will solve nothing, Asriel. You mustn't allow yourself to go down that path. It is not who you are."

"I know... but it was her determination that made me feel the same hatred she felt... the same resentment." Asriel said. "Alice... thanks for saving all my friends... my mom and dad... Frisk." Alice nodded in response, Asriel turning once again to Frisk. "Chara... she wasn't the nicest person. The humans... they made her that way. She seems tough, and scary, and she is... but deep down, she's more scared than anybody. She's jealous of you, Frisk. You have something she doesn't have. You have goodness and hope." He hung his head. "Frisk... I know I deserve it, and... I understand if... you don't want to, but... can you ever forgive-" Asriel inhaled sharply when he was suddenly hugged by Frisk, tears brimming his eyes as he slowly hugged her back.

"I know you don't want to let go... and... I don't want to either." Frisk said. "I don't want you to turn back into a flower."

"I have to, Frisk... to save our friends. We have to do the right thing." Asriel said, the both of them glancing over at Alice.

"Frisk, I know how difficult it is to lose someone you love. But you must keep their memories close. That will keep your connection to them strong." Alice said.

Asriel then closed his eyes, extending his arms as he released the six human souls, and all of the monster souls he had absorbed. All of them together shattered the barrier, Frisk and Alice shielding themselves as the force of the breaking sent a strong gust of wind towards them. Once everything settled, Asriel smiled gently. "Well... I don't have much time left... I'm going to tend some flowers."

Frisk went over to him, taking his hands. "Then I'll tend them with you."

"But Frisk... you should go be with your friends." Asriel replied.

"I am. You're my friend." She smiled, the two of them kneeling down by a patch of golden flowers.

Alice smiled lightly, going over to where the barrier had once been. She smiled when she saw all the monsters had returned, rejoicing and embracing one another. She scanned over the scene, feeling a sense of accomplishment. Her thoughts were broken when-

"Human!" Papyrus exclaimed, nearly crushing her in an enthusiastic hug. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

"Yes, I'm alive and in one piece..." Alice winced a bit when she was finally set down.

"I knew you could do it, I believed in you the whole time!" Papyrus beamed.

"I believed that you had exactly a 7.3% chance of success according to my carefully calculated-" Alphys started, but was cut off by Undyne.

"That was freaking AWESOME! You have GOT to teach me how to do all that neat stuff you did!" She exclaimed.

"First she's going to teach me where she shops, because darling, your wardrobe is to DIE for!" Mettaton interjected.

"Now everyone, settle down." Asgore said as he made his way through. "Alice... we all owe you a big thank you. You helped to save us all, something that I was unable to do."

"Well, at least that's one thing we can agree on." Toriel said as she stepped forward, making Asgore chuckle nervously as she shot him a look. "Alice... our gratitude is immeasurable. I do not know how we can repay you."

"Remain safe and live out your lives in peace. I think that's all I truly desire of you." Alice replied.

"Yo, where's the human kid?" Monster Kid exclaimed, causing a stir.

"I'm here."

Everyone turned, gasping when Frisk appeared. When Undyne caught sight of her, she clenched her jaw. "Stay back!" She shouted, about to bear down upon Frisk with one of her spears. A hand shot out to stop her, and she glanced over when someone took a step forward. replacing the hand in his hoodie pocket, Sans approached Frisk, stopping a few feet from her.

"Are you, really?" He responded, chuckling when he received a nod in response. Everyone held their breath, and Frisk looked at her feet for a moment.

"Sans... she showed me everything."

"... she did, huh?" Sans asked. Frisk nodded, holding her arms out in a hugging gesture. She said nothing for several moments, but Sans could tell what she was feeling... what she was silently asking. "I want you to know something, kid. What I said, in that hall... I wasn't saying it to you." His eye sockets darkened for a moment. When he noticed Frisk's arms were still extended, he stepped closer, finally closing the space between them as he returned the hug. In that moment, tension the monsters had felt melted into sympathy as Frisk broke down.

"I'm sorry, Sans... I'm sorry for everything... I didn't mean it... I didn't mean any of it..." She sobbed.

"I know, kid." Sans replied, the thought of Chara making his eye sockets darken again. "I know."

Hating to see Frisk cry, Papyrus shuffled over, bending down to join in the hug. "Please don't cry, little human. I forgive you."

One by one, monsters went over to join the others until soon, all surrounded Sans and Frisk in a collective of love and healing. Alice sighed contently, feeling her work was done. As she went to leave however, someone grabbed her arm, pulling her into the large group hug. As she did so, she felt a presence behind her, glancing back to see a familiar face. He did not make a sound, hovering silently, but she could tell that he too was content with this outcome. She gave him a small nod before he disappeared back into his nothingness, lingering unseen. When the huge group hug finally ended, they all began to migrate through the barrier, many crying out joyfully as they ran into the fresh air of freedom. The smaller group of friends stood together, looking out on the sunset as it descended over the surface of the Earth.

"So... this is it, huh?" Sans asked Alice as the others spoke among themselves.

"Rest assured... I don't think there will be anymore of these... 'resets.'" Alice replied.

"That's good to hear." Sans said. "And for you?"

"My journey here is complete. I have other lands to explore, more perils to thwart." Alice replied.

"You're pretty good at it, Alice." Sans said. "Gonna say goodbye to the others?"

Alice glanced over, seeing them all chat away with Frisk. "I think they are all occupied. I'll slip quietly away."

"Alright, I'll pass along your good wishes." Sans said, turning to look at the sun setting again. "You know, Alice... for the longest time, I thought that the worst thing in this world was to know that every time I woke up, every time it started all over again, that I knew that i was either going to get to the end only for it to be snatched away from me... or to watch my brother be snatched away from me and that I would be holding his dust-covered scarf again." He chuckled sadly, sighing shakily. "But I realized something... that every time I opened my eyes... it was a new chance to tell him how much I loved him before everything crashed and burned. A new chance to see his smile, to make him happy." He glanced up at Alice. "You had no idea that was coming for her, did you? You will never have that chance to see her again, to have closure."

"You're right." Alice said, staring ahead. "I suppose it's difficult to determine which situation is the worse of the two."

Sans nodded. "I know I can't ever give back to you what you've given me, kiddo. But I hope you know that I will never take a single moment with my brother for granted. I owe you that much."

"I appreciate that." Alice replied, turning to look at him. "I don't know what the future will bring for you and your company, but... I hope it is for the best."

"You too, Alice." Sans replied. "Oh, and when you do get back to Wonderland... tell Cheshire he's a pretty cool cat." He chuckled as Alice rolled her eyes.

As they parted ways, Alice knew there was nothing else she needed to say or do. Sans would tell them she had to leave, and she bid them all a fond farewell. She had met quite a group of characters here, but knew she had given them the means to move on from the never ending loop they were subjected to in the underground. Through there may have been darker forces at play laying dormant, she knew they all had the strength to overcome it, now they had finally earned and could now keep their freedom. As she left this world, she closed her eyes, keeping her ears open. Someone, somewhere, and in possibly another time, would call for her aid, her guidance, and her insight to claim victory over evil. For now, however... in her heart, she knew that the bonds with her own company, present and past, had been strengthened with the redemption of the monsters from the underground.

The End.

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 **And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! I want to thank everyone again for their support, this was a fun story to write and it really gave me the opportunity to explore some personal ideas from Undertale as well as some relationships that I had been pondering about. Also, I had seen many similarities between the characters of Undertale compared to those from Alice in Wonderland in general, and that idea was what inspired me to write this in the first place. I love Undertale and Toby really made a fun and unique story that includes concepts which defy typical gaming styles. There is a real art of storytelling there which I both appreciate and respect, and I hope that you all enjoyed my ideas and interpretations in this story here. Please leave a review of what you thought, and if you are still eager to read more, please don't hesitate to check out my other stories. Thank you again and I wish you all happiness! :)**

 **~Kapra**


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